Chapter 172

Yet, in that dangerous moment, Stephan hadn’t abandoned Felicia. Instead, he had held her tightly, shielding her!
As the current swept them along, she heard him grunt in pain several times, along with the sound of heavy thudding. It suddenly struck her-maybe this powerful man wasn’t as cold-hearted as he seemed.
Her gaze softened with concern. “Mr. Russell, are you alright? Should I check your injuries?”
He glanced around, his expression unreadable. “Do you know where we are?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
She had spent some years in Alverton but was too young to explore every corner of the mountain. Now, surrounded by dark trees with no identifiable landmarks, it was impossible to tell their location. And as for their phones-those had been swept away long ago. “Let’s find a place to spend the night.”
“Alright.” Felicia agreed. The search could wait until morning; she was sure the villagers wouldn’t abandon her and were probably out looking right now.
She stood up, shivering as the cold wind hit her wet clothes. At this rate, they risked hypothermia-they needed to find shelter and build a fire.
After scanning their surroundings, she started down the path on her left, but Stephan hadn’t moved from his spot when she glanced back. She understood immediately, feeling a pang of guilt. He must be badly hurt, especially after taking all those hits in the water to protect her.
Returning, she lifted one of his arms and slung it over her shoulder. “Here. Lean on me.”
After a pause, she added, “But this time, no grabbing me by the throat like before!”
Stephan let most of his weight rest on her, chuckling at her words. “Still holding a grudge, are we? I thought you would be grateful to the person who saved you.” Felicia huffed silently, thinking, “I saved you once too!”
She scoffed softly, unwilling to finish the thought-that night, someone had been burning with desire, and if it hadn’t been for her…
They descended the moonlit path, stumbling and slipping occasionally until she spotted something in the distance. “Look! There’s a little hut over there!” Sometimes, forest rangers had cabins out here, allowing them to contact the outside world.
But as they drew closer, they realized it was an abandoned shack, probably built by hunters. It was tiny and hastily made, looking almost ready to collapse. Still, they were lucky to have even this bit of shelter in the cold.
She inspected the door; the lock was rusted. A few taps with a rock, and it fell open. Inside, there was dust, cobwebs, and even a few bugs.
“Wait here Felicia said, letting go of
his arm. She snapped off a few branches from a nearby tree to make a makeshift broom, quickly sweeping out the cobwebs and any insects.
Once she finished, she helped Stephan inside.
They were drenched from head to toe, water even pooling inside their shoes. She had only one shoe left; he looked worse. Having lost both shoes, his feet were covered in only dark socks. en
She almost laughed at his state but held back, feeling guilty.