Chapter 191 I Must Look So Disgusting
The pitch–dark sky seemed to be shedding its black veil, gradually lightening. Soaked to the bone, Renee and Ryland had just dragged themselves out of the sea, only to be met by a biting wind that made their bodies feel like they were trapped in blocks of ice.
Once their limbs finally stopped resisting, they trembled as they gathered fallen leaves and branches scattered around them.
“Good thing my lighter’s waterproof. Renee, you have a seat. I’ll get a fire going for you,” Ryland said.
Renee shot him a doubtful look, unconvinced he had the skill to manage it.
“Don’t waste the firewood. I’ll do it. Just sit there and watch,” she said.
Recognizing the truth in her words and with no choice but to comply, Ryland remained quiet, observing from the side.
To his astonishment, Renee handled the fire effortlessly.
In his mind, she had always been a proud and untouchable princess, someone who never bothered with mundane tasks.
And yet, here she was, striking a flame with practiced ease.
As he watched, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
Noticing the faint sound of sobbing, Renee lifted her gaze, catching sight of him crying. She was momentarily at a loss for words.
“What’s this about? Why are you suddenly tearing up?”
The more she questioned him, the harder he cried–like a lost child unable to hold back the flood of emotions.
Renee’s patience thinned. But he kept crying loudly.
“Enough already! Quit crying!” she snapped.
Ryland hurriedly wiped his face, sniffling as he stammered, “Renee… why did you jump in after me?”
Renee rolled her eyes. “Take a wild guess.”
Ryland shook his head, genuinely clueless.
Annoyed, she jabbed a finger against his forehead.
“We grew up together and we are friends, idiot! You think I’d just stand there and let you drown?”
Her sharp tone masked the depth of her concern, but Ryland heard it. The tears wouldn’t stop.
She said they were friends, and she really did care.
A sudden, spine–chilling howl of a beast pierced the stillness from a distance.
The sound immediately froze Ryland, who instinctively shrank behind Renee, fear evident in his eyes.
He didn’t feel like much of a man in that moment.
The darkness was thick–just before dawn–and the quiet around them was unnervingly intense, with every small sound amplified in the eerie stillness.
“Renee… I’m so scared…” he whispered, his voice small.
Renee smirked, unimpressed. “Now you’re scared?”
“Yes… I am…” he admitted, his voice barely a whisper, trembling with fear.
Renee, speechless, started rifling through her things in search of something -anything–useful.
She pulled out two pieces of chocolate, a little soggy from the seawater, but still edible enough to stave off hunger.
Her fingers brushed over her phone, still damp. But she shook it off before pressing the power button.
To her surprise, the phone came to life, its screen flickering back on. But there was no signal.
The fleeting hope quickly faded and she tucked the phone away.
“We’ll figure out where we are first thing in the morning. Once we get a signal, we’ll call for help,” she said, her tone firm. “Now, come here. Let me check your injuries.”
Ryland hesitated, unwilling to comply.
Renee raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter? Does it hurt that badly? That you can’t even move? Come on, let me see.”
Ryland bowed his head, his voice muffled. “No… I’m fine…”
But Renee wasn’t having it. She grabbed him, pulling him closer.
She must have brushed against one of his wounds, as he immediately winced in pain.
“Renee, please… It’s really fine. I can handle it…”
“Shut up!” she snapped. “Come here, and let me check you over.”
He had no choice but to yield, allowing her to examine him.
The flickering light of the fire revealed just how severe his injuries were— some from the merciless brutes, others from his desperate plunge into the
sea.
“I must look so disgusting now,” Ryland murmured, his voice laced with shame.
