Female Novel
Chapter 1647
Chapter 1647Arthur did not know how to write and could not compose a letter. Hence, he lost touch with Evelyn after three years.
He had initially assumed that she would have already wed upon his return. To his surprise, the person he had longed for was stillwaiting for him at home.
Although they hadn't seen each other in years, their reunion was natural, as if they had never been apart. They quickly confirmedtheir relationship after that.novelbin
Arthur hired a matchmaker to formalize their union, and they soon set a date for the wedding.
The couple were engrossed in the preparations for their new life together, eagerly anticipating their future. Little did they know,tragedy was on the horizon.
Aseries of gruesome murders began plaguing the town. The perpetrator targeted young women, committing heinous acts beforetaking their lives.
In just six months, four lives were brutally taken, causing the people to panic. Women were afraid to venture out alone.At the time, Evelyn was employed at a textile factory. Arthur would see her off and pick her up daily.
As their wedding approached, Evelyn's family suddenly changed their minds, demanding a larger dowry. It turned out thatEvelyn's younger brother had fancied a girl from a prominent family whose dowry demands were unreasonably high. TheThornfield family could not muster the required funds, so they came up with this plan.
Evelyn was deeply embarrassed and enraged by her family's actions. Despite her usual gentle demeanor, she had a massivefight with her family about it.
However, in those days, women had little say in their own marriages.
Should Arthur refuse, the Thornfields would swiftly arrange another marriage for their daughter. They were convinced that theywould eventually find someone who would be willing to foot the bill.
Arthur was equally upset but had no choice but to give in. He could not stand to see the Thornfield family forcing Evelyn intosuch an unwanted situation.
But he had just set up a new home and had very little money left. Even with assistance from relatives and friends, he was stilllacking financially.
Back then, the county was home to a coal mine. The machinery in that era was not as advanced as what they had today. Minershad to manually extract the coal without proper protective gear, hauling it up sack by sack. It was a physically demanding anddangerous job.
Nonetheless, the pay was significant. Arthur could come up with the remaining funds for the dowry with only one month of labor.Besides, he possessed great stamina at the tender age of twenty,
Despite his demanding schedule, Arthur still waited for Evelyn at the entrance of the textile factory every time she got off work.
Until one day, a heavy rain came. The downpour caused the mine entrance to collapse. It took the miners a considerable amountof time to work together and dig their way out of the coal mine.
When Arthur got out, he changed into dry clothes and hurried to pick up Evelyn. The skies were dark. Upon his arrival, he foundthe factory gate securely locked, and Evelyn was nowhere in sight.
Arthur was worried, so he went to Evelyn's house. However, she was not there. Her co-workers said she waited at the gate forhalf an hour and left, saying she would look for him at the mine.
But the people at the mine hadn't seen Evelyn.Arthur had a bad feeling about this. He called a few of his former comrades from the military and set out along the road from thetextile factory to the coal mine to search for Evelyn.
One of his comrades heard some noise while passing through a farmland stretch. He called out, "Who's there?" Suddenly, afigure jumped up and ran away in a panic.
As the man approached the area where the figure jumped out, his face changed instantly.
Something dreadful had happened to Evelyn.
Arthur rushed over and saw that she was naked from the waist down, with a rope tightly wound around her neck.
Fortunately, they discovered her in time, still clinging to life. The men quickly sent her to the hospital.
Evelyn stood as the sole survivor of the string of horrifying assaults and murders. The police swiftly arrived to get a statement.
After the doctors checked out Evelyn, she identified her assailant.