Chapter 283: The One She Could Not Lose
[Music recommendation: AQUILO - It All Comes Down to This]
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Cillian and Jade both lunged forward, catching Aliana just in time.
"Ali, no!" Jade cried, gripping her arm tightly.
"He will be fine, Aliana! Don’t worry, he’ll be here!" Cillian shouted over the roar of the wind, holding her other arm. His own heart pounded violently at the thought of her jumping into the stormy sea. If she did, Cillian wasn’t sure anyone would survive Gavriel’s wrath.
"T-Then where is he?" Aliana cried, her tear-filled eyes staring back at the island that now looked as though a bomb had detonated over it. "Why isn’t he here? Why are we leaving without him?"
Her gaze snapped back to Cillian as fresh tears streamed down her face. "Let me go! I need to go to him! How dare you leave him there all alone!"
Cillian was left speechless by her outburst. The truth was, he had fully expected Gavriel to reach the rescue boats before Aliana regained consciousness.
’Why the hell is he taking so long? Didn’t I warn him?’ he cursed inwardly as he desperately searched for something, anything, to say to calm her down.
"Let me go to my husband! Stop the boat!" Aliana cried as she struggled against their grips, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks
At her panicked cries, the rescue boat finally came to a stop.
Aliana had already lost her friend, and she didn’t know what she would do if, God forbid, something happened to her husband.
No!
Over her dead body!
A sudden rush of adrenaline coursed through her. Aliana wrenched her hand free from Jade’s grasp before leaning over and sinking her teeth hard into Cillian’s arm.
"Ow!" Cillian yelped, instinctively letting go of her.
That split second was all she needed.
Aliana bolted away from them and rushed to the other side of the boat. Jade and Cillian immediately chased after her, reaching out to grab her again just as she leaned over the railing, ready to throw herself into the water.
Just then, a soft thud sounded on the opposite side of them, followed by a quiet voice calling out to her. "Ana?"
That single word was all it took to freeze all three of them dead in their tracks.
Slowly, Aliana turned around and met a pair of icy blue eyes staring back at her. Gavriel’s gaze shifted to the sight of one of her legs dangling over the railing, and a slight frown crossed his handsome face before he slowly lifted his eyes to glare at Cillian.
Cillian immediately gulped.
Aliana, on the other hand, could only stare at Gavriel with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Her gaze gradually travelled over him, taking in his drenched clothes and hair as water dripped from every inch of him, making it obvious that he had swum his way to the boat.
Nearby, the other guests remained equally stunned by Gavriel’s sudden appearance. Given how wildly his wife had panicked, everyone had truly feared they were about to receive a second piece of tragic news regarding the death of Archon Group’s chairman.
But as the reality that Gavriel was alive finally sank in, Aliana rushed into his arms without a second thought.
Not caring that he was dripping wet, she clung to him with a crushing grip, as if she would die if she let him go, and Gavriel immediately wrapped his arms around her.
He could feel her trembling against him as she cried, and he realised just how terrified she was.
Not knowing what had driven her into such a state, he simply pulled her closer and gently whispered, "Shh... baby. You’re safe now."
He continued comforting her, completely unaware that her terror had never been for herself, but for him.
After satisfying himself by blowing the estate apart, Gavriel had materialised outside, only to find the rescue boats already drifting a considerable distance away. He had initially planned to teleport directly aboard and quietly blend in with the crowd.
However, when he glanced down, he realised he was still covered in blood from head to toe.
Not wanting to alarm anyone, he had jumped into the sea to wash the blood away before teleporting close to the boat and climbed aboard using the rope ladder hanging from the side of the vessel.
However, the moment he reached the deck, he hadn’t expected to be greeted by the sight of his wife seemingly trying to jump into the water while Cillian and Jade struggled to stop her.
He still couldn’t understand why she would do something like that, so he simply held her and continued to comfort her, assuming she was overwhelmed after everything she had endured.
The hand gently stroking her back stilled when she slowly shook her head before lifting her tear-filled face to look at him.
"H-how could you..." she choked out. "How could you be consoling me when you... I... I thought you were trapped there all alone. I thought I’d... lost you."
The words caught Gavriel completely off guard as the truth finally dawned on him. She hadn’t been terrified for herself. She had been terrified for him.
Unknowingly, a small smile curved across Gavriel’s lips as he cupped her face and gently brushed away the tears staining her cheeks.
"As you can see, I’m fine, baby. Don’t cry anymore."
Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, "I hate seeing tears in your eyes."
Aliana’s eyes widened before fresh tears welled up once more, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, clinging to him as she tried to calm herself. Not caring who was watching.
At that moment, she was simply grateful that her husband was safe and back in her arms. The whole world could burn for all she cared, but not him.
Cillian and Jade let out quiet sighs of relief as they watched the couple embrace before their gazes drifted towards the island, which continued to burn like an erupting volcano against the night sky.
It was hard to believe they had only arrived on the island that afternoon to take a quick breather from city life, completely unaware of the horror that awaited them.
Nevertheless, the incident had certainly taught them all some hard lessons...
Never take life’s simple moments of peace for granted, and cherish those who are still by your side, because you never know when life might decide to hurl another boulder into your path.
Unbeknownst to them, this tragic turn of events had not only brought them one step closer to the truth waiting to reveal itself... it had also brought their enemies one step closer to them.
....
Underworld
Deep within a palace carved entirely from gleaming obsidian, the sharp click of a pair of black heels echoed through the silent halls before coming to a halt before a pair of towering ebony doors.
Cloaked in heavy black armour, the demon guards pushed the doors open at the lady’s arrival.
"He will see you now."
Ignoring the throbbing pain in her left shoulder, the woman walked inside with measured grace before stopping before a man lounging upon a jagged obsidian throne, his eyes remaining closed.
Without opening them, he spoke in a deep, commanding voice.
"What brings you here... Vorra?"
Vorra lowered her head in a respectful bow. "I have news that will interest you, Master."
He remained perfectly still. "Speak."
Vorra hesitated for the briefest moment before finally saying, "I’m afraid she... has returned."
The moment those words left her lips, the man’s blood-red eyes snapped open.