My Mute Bride

Amber answered, “Somerset Mountain. Why?”

“Hudson Pharmaceuticals has funded children from Somerset Mountain?”

“Yes, we have been doing it for more than 20 years.”

“How could it be? I remember there wasn’t anyone left after the fire.”

“The fire?” She was slightly stunned. “Justin, how did you know there was a fire in Somerset Mountain?”

A frown came to Justin’s face as he feigned indifference. “It was on the news. I happened to watch it.”

Amber nodded. “Yes, it was exactly because of the fire that the whole mountain was reduced to ashes. I heard someone almost died too. My dad said that there was a hidden village in Somerset Mountain and it was home to some human traffickers. They were trying to escape security checks, so when the fire happened, they couldn’t be rescued on time.”

Justin clenched his fists tighter. “That’s what your father told you?”

“Yes, those traffickers hid in a ditch and the firemen didn’t even know there were people there. They managed to find them in the end, but a little girl almost died in the process.”

“Almost died?”

His expression changed.

“She was burned badly, but she managed to survive. My dad did everything he could to save her by sending her to hospitals all over the country. In the end, she was even sent abroad to receive treatment.”

Amber didn’t manage to finish her words before Justin grabbed her hand to interrogate her, “Where is she now?”

“She… she’s still out of the country.”

“What’s her name?”

“Justin, what came over you?”

“What’s her name?” he repeated.

“Katherine Cooper.” Amber’s features were distorted in pain. “Justin, let me go! What happened to you?”

Justin’s cold face was stiff as he struggled to believe his ears.

Katherine…

Katie…

He was taken back to the Burton Family after the fire twenty years ago. He didn’t have the ability to investigate the matter at first and when he finally rose to position as the president of Burton Group, the landscape had already changed beyond recognition.

to search all over Somerset Mountain, but he never

thought she

in the fire to save him, but she

her.” Justin grabbed Amber’s arm, his cold eyes burning with determination.

attending the charity event this Saturday. If… if you want

it took a long while for him to calm himself.

you.”

the other side of the car window, signaling that night had fallen over Riverdale like a humongous black cloth that stretched across

looked down at the bruise on her wrist-a result of Justin’s tight

felt that she had made

hadn’t seen in more than 20 years was enough to shake him to

very girl from all

chill in Amber’s cold eyes was reflected in the

bureau, a

“Officer Hawkins.”

me that. I’ve been stripped of my

position issue is temporary and I’ve

Janice pulled up a chair and sat on it. Beneath her short haircut, her features were bright and firm. “Any updates

about to mention that. This is taken from the case files concerning Somerset Mountain. If I were one second late,

the box of files from her

history, the box had already yellowed and it reeked of

you going to

“To save someone.”

was stern, but her eyes

her position and also the confidentiality period, she would’ve given those files to

from the hospital, he never appeared again for a

had gone out for walks,

a distance away on a few occasions, but Jennifer had always pulled

door

food on the tray

“Miss Jennifer.”

rang down

hastily pulled him aside. “Dr. Peters, it’s not that I refuse to help you. It’s just that Mr. Burton has warned me before; if I allow you to meet Mrs. Burton one

Jennifer, I don’t mean

“Then…”

is she these

eat as much as she used to, but it’s way better than

as he placed a folder in Miss Jennifer’s hands. “Please pass