Chapter 553

Chapter 553:

I had realized the problem earlier when I tried to climb over that fallen tree. This so-called dress, woven from leaves, was good for covering me, but useless for movement. A single large step sent the hem riding dangerously high. It was only the bikini underneath that kept me decent. Even so, one sharp pull and the fragile weave would likely tear.

As I hesitated, a shadow fell over me.

Ashton had crossed back.

The next instant, the ground vanished from under me. The world spun, and when it settled, I found myself cradled in his arms.

I stared up at the hard line of his jaw. “What are you doing p>

I struggled, trying to slip free. His palm pressed firmly against my thigh, and my body betrayed me with a shiver.

The more I tried to escape, the tighter his hold became.

His gaze dropped to me, his jaw taut, his voice clipped. “Don’t move p>

The sharp tone made me freeze.

“Hold onto my neck. Unless you want to fall p>

I hesitated before frowning up at him. “Do you think I can’t cross on my own?” But Ashton only shook his head, looking at me with a steady, almost solemn expression.

“I don’t want to make the same mistake twice p>

Even with me in his arms, Ashton crossed the stream effortlessly. In less than a minute, we were on the far bank.

He set me down gently. My feet touched the cool ground, and the heat of my frustration slowly ebbed away.

Then, Ashton took my hand again. We walked in silence. The only sounds were the rustle of leaves in the wind, the occasional chirp of birds, and the crunch of our steps on the forest floor.

Suddenly, we both stopped.

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I saw the yacht.

Or, to be precise, the wreckage of the yacht.

Before us lay broken pieces, twisted and scattered, half-buried under a tangle of branches.

For the first time since reaching the shore, excitement surged through me. I was so overwhelmed I froze, unwilling to blink, fearing that the sight before me might vanish like a mirage.

Ashton walked toward the wreckage.

I snapped out of it and hurried after him, almost running in my eagerness, overtaking him in my haste.

The yacht was incomplete, but a good portion of it remained. That meant there was a high chance of finding our luggage.

My eyes lit up. “How did you know the yacht was this way p>

Ashton was already shifting aside a thick plank of wood. “When you came into the forest, didn’t you notice how many of the trees here were snapped, compared to elsewhere p>

I shook my head. My spirits had been too low earlier to notice anything, and even if I had, I doubted I would have spotted what he did.

“If it had only been the tsunami, the trees would have snapped near the base or been uprooted entirely and carried off. But these are broken in three or four places. That means they were struck by something heavy in addition to the waves. Apart from our yacht, there was nothing nearby large enough to cause that kind of damage p>

I stared at him.