Chapter 14 Her Phobia

"Celia? Celia!" Yardley scooped her up into his arms and gently tapped her cheek. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Celia's brows were scrunched up, and she muttered, "It's so dark … Don't go … Don't …"

"Dark? Oh—she's afraid of the dark!" Realization dawned on Yardley.

His heart softened as he suddenly recalled the little girl who was also pale with fear in the darkness, huddling close to him. An inexplicable sense of compassion arose in his heart.

"Don't be scared. Everything's okay now. I'll take you home," he said gently.

Celia's trembling visibly lessened after hearing his words, but she continued to mutter under her breath. Yardley couldn't understand a word she was saying, but he was more focused on getting her out of there.

"It's okay. Don't be scared. I'm here," he kept comforting her along the way.

He sat her in the passenger seat and noticed that she was still clutching onto his clothes. Yardley decided to take off his coat and drape it over her. He couldn't help but f