Ch. 384: Mr. Edwards’ Unraveled Life Chapter 384

Chapter 384

"Is that so?" Norah hesitated, uncertain. Her memory was hazy—just fragments of thoughts formed under stress.

She didn’t know what had happened to her.

Jack sighed, his voice deep with regret. "We tried everything to find you, Norah. When you disappeared, we reported it to the police. They searched the school but found nothing. We spent months looking for you. Then one day, you came back—on your own. Your mother and I had no idea what you had been through. When we found you, you were curled up outside our door, bruised and rambling nonsense. You were confused, then suddenly collapsed. You were in a coma for a long time. And when you finally woke up, it was like none of it had ever happened. You couldn’t remember anything. Instead, you replaced those lost memories with someone else’s."

That time was just as painful for them.

"If you don’t want to remember, we won’t force you. We didn’t want anyone else to know either—we were afraid it would only bring you more harm." They had been filled with guilt and heartbreak, but when Norah returned to a normal life, all they wanted was for her to be happy.

They had prepared for the worst.

They had also done everything to protect her reputation.

To keep her from reliving the fear, they had agreed to follow her lead.

They had even hidden the terrifying nightmares she must have endured.

In her reality, her missing memories—or the ones she had—shaped themselves according to her own mind.

She had created an illusion she could live with.

Norah stared at them, struggling to believe it. She remembered every detail of her supposed rescue so vividly. And now, they were telling her none of it was real?

Then what was the truth?

Had her junior high school years really been so uneventful?

She knew her parents only wanted to protect her.

But she had been gone for so long. She had escaped from a dangerous place. And yet, she—a young girl, bruised but alive—had somehow managed to survive. That alone was hard to believe.

Her classmates had once hinted that Bianca might have deceived her.

But why would Bianca lie?

Back then, there had been no rivalry between them.

If she had been in love with Kevin and Bianca had resented her for it, maybe that would have made sense. Maybe Bianca would have set her up, led her into danger, even wanted her dead.

But there had been no connection between them at the time. No reason for Bianca to come after her specifically.

It didn’t add up.

The world suddenly felt small, the same people appearing in different parts of her life, all tangled in a hidden conspiracy.

Norah knew she had to test Bianca. Only then would she uncover the truth.

"Mom, Dad, now that I know, you don’t have to keep hiding it from me. I never expected I had been through something like this," Norah admitted. Her memories felt altered—like someone had rewritten them to keep her from knowing too much.

She would rather have a distorted past than be dead.

That was the point.

Gwen, her mother, was still anxious. She held Norah’s hand tightly. "Don’t think about the past anymore. I don’t want you to go through this again. You have to stay safe—for yourself and for your child. Do you understand?"

Norah placed her hand over Gwen’s. "I understand, Mom."

But Gwen couldn’t shake the unease in her heart. "I don’t know why, but just talking about this makes me panic. I keep seeing you bruised and unconscious at our doorstep. If that happened again, I—" Her voice broke. "I don’t know how I’d survive it."

"Mom, it won’t happen again. Don’t worry," Norah reassured her gently.

Even so, Gwen couldn’t stop worrying. She kept telling Norah to let the past go.

Jack sat silently, watching them, his expression heavy with concern.

He didn’t say much, but he was thinking the same thing.

Norah had forgotten everything. But if she was bringing it up now, something must have triggered it.

Or worse—someone from her past had returned.

Gwen’s fear wasn’t unfounded. If Norah was remembering, it meant she was going through it all over again.

As her father, how could he not be afraid for her? He kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting to alarm Gwen further. But in his heart, the fear remained. He worried that history would repeat itself.

That’s what terrified Gwen the most.

Norah comforted her until she calmed down and finally went to rest.

Jack remained in the living room, waiting for Norah.

Once Gwen was in bed, he turned to his daughter, his face unreadable. He took a sip of tea before asking, "What’s going on, Norah?"

She walked over, sensing the weight of his words. "What do you mean, Dad?"

"It’s been a long time since you’ve been home," Jack said. "Your mother mentioned it. Now you show up, and your belly is so big. Have you even thought about how long you’ve been away? Are you just busy, or is something else going on? Is everything okay with Kevin?"

He wasn’t just worried about her happiness—he was worried about her safety.

Norah smiled softly. "Dad, you don’t need to worry. I can handle it."

Jack’s expression darkened. "Have they found you again?"

Norah hesitated.

"If they hadn’t, you wouldn’t be asking these questions," Jack said grimly. "I’m calling the police. Your safety comes first."

"Dad." Norah stopped him, her voice firm. "I am your daughter. But there are so many daughters in this world, and every one of them is precious. I know you love me and don’t want me to get hurt. But for the sake of all the daughters out there, I have to be brave. For myself, too. Don’t worry. I’ll protect myself. I won’t let you and Mom live in fear again."

Calling the police wouldn’t change anything.

They were out in the open. Their enemies lurked in the shadows.

She couldn’t rely on police protection forever.

And even if she could, it wouldn’t solve the problem.

This organization wasn’t just powerful—it was evil. It had ruined countless lives.

It needed to be destroyed.

Jack studied her for a long time. Then he sighed, setting his phone down. "You’ve grown up, Norah. You’re not that little girl who used to ride on my shoulders anymore."

She smiled at him. "Dad, I have a family now. A career. A child on the way. Just focus on being a grandpa."

For the first time in a while, Jack’s face softened with a smile.

It gave him hope.

He looked forward to meeting his first grandchild.

They talked for a while, reminiscing about her childhood.

Time passed so quickly. To Jack, it felt like just yesterday that his little girl was learning to walk. Now, she was an adult, making her own way in the world.

And that only reminded him of his own mortality.

He had always been the one protecting her.

But now, he feared he wouldn’t be able to anymore.

He only hoped that one day, she would find someone strong enough to protect her in his place.

A Few Days Later

Norah went to look for Bianca.

"What? Bianca hasn’t been to the company for a few days?"

"Yeah," someone said. "She just disappeared."

Even her colleagues didn’t seem to care.