Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



After a brief silence, Elliot finally spoke up,

"The attack came out of nowhere. I didn't catch a good look at the attacker, but their aim was clear. It was premeditated, and the precision in their movements was that of a professional hitman!"

Evan was puzzled, "But if they were a professional, why did they botch the job?"

"They didn't botch anything," Elliot explained. "They likely never intended to kill me. A professional would know exactly how to miss vital spots, to injure without killing."

Tarquin felt a wave of guilt wash over him, his face the picture of remorse,

"This is on me. The attacker was targeting me, to scare you guys, to make mom freak out."

Elliot, half-reclining on the hospital bed, turned his head towards him and said frankly,

"It involves you, but it's not entirely about you. The real target seems to be to drive mom away from you. It's less about targeting you and more about getting to mom. I suspect the attacker is..."

"The mysterious stranger!"

"Keith!"

Father and son exclaimed in unison!

After locking eyes for a couple of seconds, Tarquin frowned and said,

"A lot has been going on. After you were injured and needed a blood transfusion, Keith suddenly showed up at the hospital. He's a major suspect." Elliot also frowned, adding, "The mysterious stranger once said outright that he wanted to snatch mom away. He wants to break up you and mom, which gives him a motive."novelbin

Elijah suddenly spoke up, "Is it possible that Keith is the mysterious stranger?"

Tarquin and Elliot turned to look at Elijah, their brows furrowed in unison, "..." Elijah explained with a serious face,

"Keith explicitly told dad that he would take mom away from him. That's exactly what the mysterious stranger said! Plus, Keith clearly doesn't like mom, yet he wants to take her away, which is just like the mysterious stranger. And Keith's identity is well-protected, mysterious and elusive just like the stranger!"

Lately, Elijah and Elliot had been trying hard to investigate Keith but came up with nothing!

It was the same situation they faced when looking into the mysterious stranger: despite trying everything, they ended up with zero useful information! Given their capabilities, failing to unearth anything about Keith only suggested that he was no ordinary man!

Moreover, Keith's sudden appearance in Future Community, stirring up trouble without any clear motive for disliking mom yet wanting to take her away, was utterly baffling.

The mysterious stranger had always given them a similar vibe!

There were too many similarities between Keith and the mysterious stranger!

Thus, Elijah suspected that they were one and the same!

The hospital room fell silent for a moment before Elliot said,

"Keith is definitely suspicious, but we have no evidence to prove he's the mysterious stranger. So, for now, let's not act against him or seek revenge on my behalf."

He was specifically addressing Tarquin.

With a heavy frown, Elliot continued,

"There will be time for revenge later. For now, we need to figure out if he really is the mysterious stranger. If he is..."

A fierce look flashed in Elliot's eyes,

"If he is, then we'll need to plan carefully how to settle scores with him, old and new!"

The debts of the past, poisoning Elijah, constantly threatening their mom, and now attacking him, all of it would be settled!

Tarquin's expression darkened. If Keith truly was the mysterious stranger, he couldn't afford to act rashly!

Setting aside the stranger's years-long scheming, there was the issue of 'the daughter' he couldn't ignore.

Since 'the daughter's' whereabouts were still unclear, and Elysia hadn't known whether she was expecting twins, that lead had to be followed up with the mysterious stranger!

If he and Elysia indeed had another daughter, she would surely be with the mysterious stranger now. That meant even more caution was needed, for his daughter's safety...