Chapter 394
Chapter 394
Russel exhaled a
of relief as he took my hand, “I had a chat with Karina downstairs. If you ever need me, just call, and I’ll be right back.”
He was honest about it, not hiding the fact that he had spent time with Karina.
I said nothing, not feeling jealous or discontent. I was just somewhat puzzled. What could they have possibly discussed? What common ground did they share?
Once we returned to our room, Russel noticed my silence. Assuming I was scared, he brought me water and comforted me.
Still, his tender gestures didn’t make me feel any better.
“Russel, what did you talk about with Karina?” I finally asked.
Russel looked surprised, and a smile played on his lips, “Why? Are you jealous? Or are you worried that we’re plotting something?”
I found his assumption strange, I was merely curious about their conversation, not suspecting any conspiracy.
Seeing my bewilderment, Russel ruffled my hair, “Don’t worry. There’s nothing going on between us. She just wanted to talk about Serena and Brandon. She’s a bit paranoid and thinks Brandon looks like Neil. She keeps asking me for reassurance.”
That seemed plausible. Karina’s suspicion about Serena and Brandon was no surprise. When I first saw that Hiram looked so much like Neil, I had my doubts too.
“All right, you’ve had a scare today. You should rest. I’ll sleep on the couch.” Russel spoke softly.
“Okay, I’m really tired.” I nodded. It was late and the issue about the elevator accident could have been dealt with by the hotel staff later.
The next day offered a couple of choices. The choices were diving together to catch seafood and preparing a meal from our catch, or engaging in activities like rock climbing and bungee jumping.
I chose diving. It had been a while since I tried it.
Russel was also an experienced diver. Following the guidance of staff, we boarded a yacht. Each couple had their own yacht. Once out at sea, we began to dive. Lunch was served onboard.
I was a decent diver. I had been fascinated with it for a time and even dived with Stella. Today, she and Mitch chose bungee jumping instead.
“Once we dive, we don’t have to stay together. Try to gather as much seafood as possible.” I joked with Russel, “We don’t want to go hungry at lunch.”
“All right.” Russel was already in his wetsuit, carrying an oxygen tank. After giving me an okay sign, we both dived into the water, leaving a staff member in charge of the yacht.
I collected some clams and caught a shrimp the size of my palm. I returned to the yacht, feeling content.
The joy of diving was not only about the catch but also the sense of freedom swimming like a fish. After wandering around underwater for a while, I decided to go back up due to limited oxygen.
Just as I was swimming up, I felt something swimming below me. I soon found I couldn’t move as my ankle was tangled in some sort of
rope.
Someone swam by. I could tell that it was a woman from her build. Her wetsuit was a different color than mine. It was rosy red. I waved desperately, hoping she would notice me. She did, but after a glance, she swam away, leaving only a vague silhouette behind.
I felt my oxygen running low and tried to swim back down to cut the rope. But without any tools underwater, it was a daunting task. The rope was thick, not some
thin line.
1
As I struggled, I used up more oxygen. Soon I felt weak and wondered where Russel was, and if he would have noticed my absence and come looking for me.
Even if he dived down, it would have probably been too late.
Forcing myself to stay calm, I found a sharp rock on the seabed and tried to cut the rope. When that failed, I found a piece of broken glass. That was my lifeline! Just as my oxygen was about to run out, I managed to sever the rope. My hand was cut in the process, but seeing my blood disperse in the water, I bore the pain and swam up.
When my head broke the surface, I heard my name, “Irene Finch!”
Neil was swimming towards me. He didn’t have any diving equipment on and swam straight to me. I was exhausted and the oxygen tank felt like a burden. The first thing he did was to help me take off
some of the equipment.
Feeling lighter, I breathed in the fresh air greedily, feeling slightly dizzy.
“Rena!” Russel’s voice echoed, and he swam towards me in a panic, He took me from Neil. The diving safety officer also arrived and helped me onto the yacht.
I lay on the deck, exhausted. All I wanted was to breathe and rest.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Russel asked anxiously.
“I ran into some trouble,” I gasped, pointing at my ankle, “I got tangled in that rope.”
Russel-immediately checked the remaining rope around my ankle. Meanwhile, Neil and Karina also boarded our yacht. Neil looked pale, probably shocked by my
ordeat.
Karina, on the other hand, looked concerned, “Ms. Finch, are you all right?”
I squinted at her and noticed her rosy red wetsuit. A sudden realization hit me. Was the woman who ignored my plea for help Karina? If so, why did she leave when I was in trouble?
By all means, she should not have been able to see my face clearly. Even if I were a stranger, she should have come over to lend a hand.
“What’s the matter?” Upon seeing my silence, Russel grew increasingly worried, fearing something had gone awry with me.
