Stray Scars (Book 2)

Chapter 27

Pov: Chu Scarlett

"Where are you going?" Changbin asked, holding my forearm so I wouldn't run out of his office.

"To save Isabelle."

"Do you even know where she is?"

"You mean to tell me that Isabelle sacrificed so much for us, and you knew all this time, might I add, and we're just going to sit around?!" I exclaimed, shaking his grip off and standing back.

"I told you that she made me swear my secrecy. I knew how important it was for her that I wouldn't spoil her plans. Just imagine it. She herself is a good actress, but if Little Haven knew about her real story, Calvin would have noticed that everyone was acting strangely on the day of the attack. Not just anyone can be as professional as Isabelle."

I laughed dryly, shaking my head at the absurdity of her situation. "But what about Hyunjin?! If you'd just told him, you would have saved him the heartbreak!"

"As much as I agree with you, Isabelle doesn't! She was sure that if he hated her, he'd be hurt for a lesser amount of time than if he knew the truth," he stated while using both hands to explain.

"But-"

"I hate to admit it, but she turned out to have a point. Hyunjin might still be carrying a scar, but he hates her and is moving on. If he knew the truth, his insides would be flipping with every passing day of her not being rescued. Who knows? He would blindly jump into danger for her too."

I looked down at the ground, genuine remorse overtaking my every cell. All I'd done to Isabelle.. was bully her. Such a tormented person was around me this whole time, and I'd never given her a chance. My mind picked out the memory of when she had experienced a night terror. The guilt consumed me more when I remembered how apathetically I'd treated her. If I could go back, I'd handle her with more care than I'd given Lily and Olive combined. She deserved all the rest in the world. And to think that she didn't have enough money too, as if all her other problems weren't enough. My nagging only made her life harder.

I was overwhelmed by these intense emotions and I suddenly felt so close to her, like I'd forgotten everything that had happened between us.

This wasn't fair.

Her life wasn't fair.

How was she so strong? How did she still have the ability to love? Not only had she saved Hyunjin, but she'd also saved all of Little Haven and even helped Changbin's unit despite how harshly we'd treated her. She had no hatred or desire for revenge. I would not have been able to achieve half her success if I were in her shoes.

The girl I'd thought of as a spoiled brat was a hero who couldn't afford a cape.

And yet, she was all alone.

"How did she.. manage to do all that by herself?" I voiced, my tone coming off too gentle for it to be familiar. We would forever be indebted to her.

"She doesn't know how to do things any other way."

Why isn't he taking credit for helping her?

"What happened to her?" I asked, goosebumps running all over my body, "You know.. after her identity was revealed and she returned to her unit."

"..... I'm worried," he answered, walking over to lean on the wall next to me. He looked into my eyes with zero contempt and had sincere trouble laced in his tone. "I can't get ahold of her."

My eyes grew wide, panic overtaking my features. "She's not-"

"Let's not go there," he said. The sad smile he gave me next had my heart stinging.