Chapter 549
Chapter 549:
I had expected sleep to evade me after such a terrifying day. Yet the moment I laid my head on the bed of leaves, I fell into a deep, dreamless rest. I wasn’t sure if it was pure exhaustion or something else.
I turned my head and looked behind me at the man who hadn’t moved an inch all night.
I couldn’t deny it. Ashton might have been harsh with his words, but his presence alone filled me with a sense of safety.
The early morning air by the sea was far from warm. As I stood, a sudden chilly wind cut across me, and I instinctively pulled my shoulders in. Then I paused.
I hadn’t felt cold at all during the night.
My eyes drifted to Ashton. His position had perfectly shielded me from the wind.
He sat up bare-chested.
He looked at me, his eyes calm and distant, the deep blue like glass, emptied of even the faint emotion I’d seen the night before.
It was as if he were looking at a stranger.
That thought irked me, but before I could speak, Ashton stretched out his hand towards me. His expression was cold. “Give me your clothes p>
I clutched the leaf dress tighter against my chest. I didn’t understand.
Ashton didn’t wait for me to move but reached forward himself.
My body stiffened. Surely, he wouldn’t try to strip me by force? They say desperate situations bring out the worst in people, but I refused to believe Ashton would do something like that.
Confusion filled me. I tightened my grip on the leaf dress and raised my other hand defensively into a fist.
His hand came closer.
But at the last second, it bypassed me and reached behind.
A moment later, he pulled something free—my wetsuit.
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I blinked, realizing I must have slept on top of it without noticing.
Ashton shook out the wetsuit to dry it. But as he did, something dropped from the pocket and landed at his feet with a soft thud.
We both looked down at once.
For a heartbeat, we froze, then excitement sparked.
A phone.
I had forgotten I’d taken it with me into the water.
I practically leapt to snatch it up, pulling it from the waterproof pouch.
I had charged it back on the yacht, so it should still have plenty of battery.
My fingers flew across the screen as Ashton leaned in beside me.
But as soon as the display lit up, my joy collapsed.
No signal. Not a single bar. I remembered then that my phone had been without service ever since we entered this stretch of sea.
Disappointment crashed through me. I jabbed Ashton’s leg with my finger, a last flicker of hope clinging. “Did you have signal yesterday p>
Maybe it was just my phone. If his worked, we could still search for his luggage, maybe even the yacht, and escape this place.
“No,” he said simply.