Chapter 97: Where Is the Man?

Raquel struggled to catch her breath, barely managing to finish her sentences. “I was about to turn on the light to check, but the door suddenly swung open. A man covered my mouth and warned me not to make a sound. He held a knife to my stomach. I dared not speak loudly. I could only do as he said and stay silent. Then, out of nowhere, he started trying to undress me. In the struggle, my clothes were torn… These tears are proof of what happened!”

Raquel gestured to her tattered clothing, the sight of which painted a vivid picture of the danger she had faced. Deborah covered her mouth in shock. “Then how did you get away?”

Raquel choked out, “I kicked him a few times. I think I hit a vital spot because he suddenly stopped moving. I was terrified. I flung the door open and ran out, screaming for help!”

Deborah carefully scanned the surroundings but didn’t spot anyone suspicious. “Where is the man who violated you? Is he still in your room?”

Raquel shook her head. “No, it was too dark. I couldn’t make out his features. When I stepped outside, he fled in a panic, heading in this direction!”

She pointed ahead, straight toward Caleb’s room. The implication was clear. Deborah frowned slightly. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Caleb lives in that room. It wouldn’t be good if we accused the wrong person.”

Raquel responded with certainty, “Mrs. Quixall, I’m sure. There’s no way I could be wrong. I saw him run in that direction with my own eyes!”

“All right then, let’s go ask Caleb if he knows what’s going on.”

Deborah, accompanied by Raquel, quickly reached the doorway of Caleb’s room.

The moment she saw Raquel in such a pitiful state, a suspect immediately came to mind – Caleb. After all, just the day before, he had tried to force himself on Seiren but failed. It wasn’t hard to imagine him acting out of unfulfilled desire. However, remembering Caleb’s firm denial from the previous day, Deborah found herself hesitating. Without concrete evidence, confronting him could simply give Caleb another opportunity to evade responsibility.

Still, Raquel was destined to be her future daughter-in-law. For such an incident to occur at the Quixall residence was unacceptable. She wouldn’t know how to explain it to Raquel’s family.

Having made up her mind, she knocked on Caleb’s room door. “Caleb, could you come out for a moment? I need to talk to you.”

Deborah knocked three times, and Caleb finally opened the door, letting out a yawn. “Mom, what’s going on? It’s so late. Do you need something?”

Deborah, holding onto Raquel, hesitated before saying, “Raquel mentioned that she was harassed by a man. She said he ran toward your room, so we wanted to ask if you’d noticed anything suspicious.”

Tears streaming down her face, Raquel nodded quietly, never once meeting Caleb’s eyes. Caleb shot her a cold glance, his expression one of feigned confusion. “What man? No one’s been in my room, let alone any evildoers.”

Deborah sighed softly. “Would it be all right if I step inside to check? Don’t worry, I’ll leave as soon as I confirm there’s no one else in there. I don’t want to disturb your sleep.”

Caleb graciously stepped aside to let her in. “Go ahead, I can assure you there’s absolutely no threat inside.”

Deborah didn’t respond and went in alone. After a thorough search, she walked out with a hint of disappointment visible on her face.