Scarlett (Second Edition) by Karima Saad Usman novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Scarlett’s POV

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My bags were packed, and I felt a strange mix of dread and hope as Keith led me outside. The morning air was heavy, wrapping around us like a final embrace. As we stepped out, I caught sight of Lucian’s jeep waiting by the entrance, and just a little behind, a black van with a western license plate Keith’s van. My heart clenched at the sight, and I turned to Keith, clutching his hand, reluctant to it go. The thought of leaving him behind and facing whatever waited for me at Redcape felt like a deep wound, raw and aching. A flicker of jealousy danced in the eyes of my companions, but one dared to voice it. It was as if we all knew this was a goodbye, though no one would say it.

“Your clothes are packed in the van, along with a little something extra from me,” Keith said softly, pressing a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I told your

mates not to let you open it until you’re home.”

His voice was warm, but it felt like a knife to my heart, tearing into the fragile comfort I’d clung to. “Remember to practice meditation, and don’t forget your magic. If you’re struggling, if things get tough – I’m only a phone call away,” he added. I nodded, barely able to meet his gaze.

He released my hand slowly, almost reluctantly, as if he didn’t want to let me go any more than I wanted to leave him. Then he turned and walked back inside. the door closing between us, severing that last thread of connection. A cold ache bloomed in my chest as tears slipped down my cheeks, realizing that this might be the last time I ever saw him. I glanced toward the van, my heart sinking. I didn’t trust those I was leaving with – not in the slightest but I didn’t have a choice. I would have to face what was coming, and I would have to do it alone.

“Where would you like to sit?” Lucian asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

I shot him a scowl. “As far away from you as possible.” My words cut through the silence, and I saw the hurt flash across his face before he nodded,

accepting it.

They positioned me at the back, closest to the door, with Martha sitting in the middle, creating a barrier between me and Clay, who took the seat by the opposite door. Maxwell sat up front, and Lucian drove, keeping his eyes forward, saying nothing. I turned toward the window, watching as the world blurred by, every mile taking me farther from the warmth and safety of Keith’s presence and closer to the shadows of Redcape.

Keith’s words echoed in my mind – practice meditation, control the magic/I wondered if I could, truly, when so much darkness still lay inside me, festering. The rage and the pain felt like chains, binding me to a monster I feared becoming. I wanted revenge, but I didn’t want to lose myself in the process.

Trees whipped by along the highway, their colors muted under a dull sky. I remembered every painful moment I’d endured in Redcape, the way they’d locked me away, starved me until even the thought of food seemed foreign. I wanted to open the door and run, to escape down the empty road and leave ail this suffering behind. But I knew, deep down, that only by facing the darkness could I ever hope to be free of it.

“Would you like to stop at a restaurant before we head back to Redcape?” Martha’s voice cut through my thoughts, hesitant. [

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