"Get down!" Micah shouted, immediately pulling Nina to the ground.The entire camp quickly went on high alert. Nash began issuing orders, and Wilfred rushed to Nina's side, while Scarlett and Scott joined the main force to counter the attack. Micah tried to use the chaos to take Nina away, but Wilfred blocked him. "Mr. Micah, Nash specifically instructed that during an attack, it's best not to move around. Besides, Nina has made it clear she doesn't want any ties with the Yaren tribe."Micah's eyes flashed with anger. He was about to retort when Nina stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, her face dark with suspicion. "Did you orchestrate this attack?"Why else would Micah be standing there so calmly, ready to take her away? They talked about bringing her back to the Yaren tribe, but they had not mentioned anything about giving Nash the antidote for his poison."It wasn't me," Micah said slowly, his expression resolute. He despised war and wished to transform his country into
Micah thought he could distract Nina and take her away, but his plan was thwarted by Nash's men who discovered him. He had hoped to use the chaos to take Nina back to the Yaren tribe, but it was now impossible. This failure was entirely due to Wilfred's actions.Wilfred opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Micah interrupted, "You better find a way to bring Nina back to the Yaren tribe!"...Two hours later."Something's wrong! Something's wrong!"The urgent cries spread throughout the camp, alarming everyone. Nina quickly ran out of her tent, seeing many wounded people returning from the outside. She froze, not seeing Nash among them, nor James or Felix. Then, a dust-covered figure caught her eye.Seeing the desperate look in James's eyes, Nina's heart raced, "James! Where is Nash? Why isn't he here?"At her words, James's eyes filled with sorrow. He lowered his head, "Miss Nina, Captain, he..."Nina's legs gave out, and she collapsed backward. Thankfully, Wilfred
Wilfred grabbed Nina. "Ivy, it's been days. You've searched the river multiple times and haven't found Nash. Felix is more experienced, and even he couldn't find him. I'm afraid..."Wilfred wanted to say that after so many days, if Nash had not been found, he was likely dead. People would not come back from the dead. Even if it was hard to accept, it had to be faced.Nina refused to listen. "Don't tell me that. As long as I haven't seen his body, I won't believe he's dead."All of you, go back! Even if it kills me, I have to find him!" Nina was distraught and on the verge of breaking down. As long as Nash's body was not found, there was still hope he was alive.With the situation so dire, she could not risk anyone else. And if Seth was targeting her, she did not care about living anymore.Wilfred had no choice but to knock Nina out and bring her back to the camp.Micah was already waiting. He wanted to take Nina back to the Yaren tribe, but Wilfred would not hand her over."Mr.
Nina suddenly looked up and saw Scarlett, her eyes filled with tears. Scarlett's clothes were tattered, her face marked with the grime of battle, and she looked exhausted.As their eyes met, Scarlett quickly ran to Nina, grasping her hand. "Nina, I'm back. I heard about Captain..."She had gone out with the soldiers to fight but had been caught in a blast, shielded by another soldier. After several days of unconsciousness, she had finally regained all her memories. Returning to the camp, she learned of Nash's sacrifice. Knowing how much Nina loved Nash, she rushed to her side, understanding that Nina would be devastated by the news.Seeing Scarlett, Nina's tears flowed uncontrollably. She was not one to cry easily, but now she could not hold it back. The man she loved most was gone forever, and she had never fully appreciated him when he was alive.Nina's grief turned into violent coughing, and to her shock, she coughed up blood. Scarlett was frightened, but Wilfred quickly han
Scarlett did not respond immediately. It felt as if she had swallowed something bitter, and her throat was full of it. She had never seen Nina so desperate, her face streaked with tears and her eyes bloodshot. Despite her own pain, Scarlett could only speak hoarsely, "Nina, only Captain knows where the child is. And with his death notice..."Even if she did not want to believe it, they had searched for days without finding Nash. He must be dead. Without him, no one knew the child's whereabouts. This was a torment for Nina.Nina couldn't control her emotions, and tears flowed like rain. "Scarlett, is this true? Please don't lie to me. I... I really want to see my child. I..."By the time she finished speaking, Nina was sobbing uncontrollably.Scarlett felt even worse, but she hugged Nina tightly, gently patting her back. "Nina, I'm not lying to you. As long as you're alive, anything is possible. Maybe Nash has already arranged everything, planned for when the child would meet you.
"Are you trying to send me away?" Wilfred asked, sensing the implication in Nina's words. His voice was raspy, tinged with a deep sadness.Nina was silent for a few seconds before she smiled and said, "Wilfred, all good things must come to an end. We each have our own paths to follow. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here."Wilfred had his own plans, but they had changed because of her."Yes, if it weren't for your situation, I wouldn't have come here. But Nina, I just want to do something for you, to make myself valuable," he said, sitting in front of her. His gaze was filled with determination and deep affection.Nina understood Wilfred's feelings, but her heart belonged to Nash. With Nash missing, she had no room for anyone else. Pretending not to notice, she replied, "Wilfred, you need to follow your own path. I know you feel that as a healer, you can help me...""Nina, I know now isn't the best time to say this, but I have to. If I don't, you'll never know how I feel.
Nash let go of her after he finished speaking. Then, he began to step back.Nina tried to grab him, but he moved too quickly, his body gradually becoming transparent."Nash! You jerk!" Nina shouted, waking up with a start.When she lifted her hand, she realized her face was soaked with tears.Wilfred and Micah entered the tent and immediately understood what had happened upon seeing her tear-streaked face.Micah approached Nina first. He sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand. "Nina, it was just a nightmare. It's okay. Come back to the Yaren tribe with me."Nash had been dead for days, and they were worried about Nina being here alone. Their father had specifically instructed Micah to bring her back to the Yaren tribe.Nina shook her head. "I won't go back with you. How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Nina, not Ivy. I’m from Birkham, not the Yaren tribe."She pushed Micah's hand away. Nina's refusal to acknowledge her heritage felt like a sharp stab to Micah’
Micah's idea was to let Nina have some time to interact before forming a judgment. But for Nina, she wanted to sever all ties with the tribe immediately. Before Nash's incident, she was contemplating negotiating with Micah and the Pharaoh for an antidote. But now, she could not think of Nash without feeling a deep, unbearable pain."If you don't want trouble here, please leave." Nina pointed towards the tent's entrance.Micah remained silent for a moment but then complied. Before leaving, he stated firmly, "Nina, I'll be waiting for you to come around."Nina, however, knew she would never come around.After Micah left, Nina turned to Wilfred with a frown. "So just because they promised to turn you back into a normal person, you're back to being their lackey?"It was Wilfred who had let Micah in. Given what Micah had said to her before, Nina was seething with anger.Wilfred looked down. "Nina, please don't be angry. I just wanted to help. You don’t have many relatives left, and
But instead of feeling touched, Vera’s first reaction was nausea. A wave of discomfort surged up from her stomach, and Vera’s face paled. She bolted for the bathroom. Caleb followed quickly. “Are you feeling sick?” “I don’t think so. I’ve been eating normally—nothing too heavy or weird lately.” Vera clutched her stomach, just as confused as he was. Then, a possibility flashed through her mind. Caleb clearly had the same thought. Without a word, he turned and walked into their bedroom, returning moments later with a pregnancy test. Vera looked at him, stunned. “When did you buy that?” He responded matter-of-factly, “Better safe than sorry.” Vera was momentarily speechless. Five minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. It was positive. They had only been married for three months. How did this happen so fast?Caleb, on the other hand, remained composed—at le
Of course, Vera wasn’t about to dump all her responsibilities on her assistant. That would be exploitation. She called her assistant into her office. “You’re twenty-five this year, right?” Her assistant blinked, confused. Wasn’t her age common knowledge? Why was Vera suddenly bringing it up? A thought struck her. Was this an arranged marriage situation? Her face immediately filled with silent refusal. “Miss Vera, I’m still young. I’m not thinking about marriage anytime soon.” Vera tapped her pen against the desk. “I’m not telling you to get married.” “Oh.” “I just want to offload some of the smaller daily tasks to you. You don’t have to run every minor document by me.”Her assistant instantly understood. A raise. After confirming she was on board, Vera gave her a salary bump and had her hire a few more assistants to distribute the workload. “If I don’t have time to handle everything, you guys will take care of it. If something’s too complicated, jus
Vera could sense danger the moment the conversation turned in this direction. Her father had never questioned her about married life, and she was lucky enough to avoid nosy relatives. But just because she hadn’t experienced it firsthand didn’t mean she hadn’t seen it happen to others. Without hesitation, she abandoned the half-folded pastry in her hands. “I... uh, need to use the restroom.” Before she could escape, Mrs. Smith caught her wrist. “You and Caleb aren’t getting any younger,” she said matter-of-factly. “You should start thinking about kids—make sure you’re putting in the effort, hmm?” Vera left the kitchen visibly drained. Mrs. Smith was a wonderful mother-in-law, the kind who treated Vera like her own daughter. Despite knowing Vera came from a well-off family, she had still gifted them a house as a wedding present. Of course, Caleb already owned a place, but his mother had insisted. “That’s your house. This is the home I’m giving you as a weddi
That undeniable possessiveness flickered in Caleb’s gaze—subtle yet impossible to ignore. It was the kind of look a powerful man might give his beloved in an old Hollywood film. And right now, the photographer felt like the unlucky bystander who had accidentally stumbled upon an intimate scene. His voice wavered slightly, caught up in his own imagination. “Mr. Smith, lift your eyes toward the camera.” Caleb’s sharp gaze flickered over, intense and commanding. The photographer instinctively pressed the shutter. They continued with several more poses, reviewing the shots as they went. Vera loved them all, but her favorite was still the vintage-inspired one. “How long until we get the final prints?” she asked. “Two to three days at most,” the photographer replied. “I’ll have them shipped directly to you.” Then, after a slight pause, he hesitated before making a request. “I actually have a personal favor to ask—would you both be open to letting us displa
Vera was tempted. They had already taken plenty of wedding photos—several sets at the island, more at the wedding itself. But this wasn’t just any photo studio. It was privately booked and known for being one of the most prestigious studios in the city. Appointments here were nearly impossible to get. The fact that Caleb had managed to secure a session meant he had gone to great lengths to make it happen. If they were just going to take ordinary wedding pictures, it would be a waste of an opportunity. Still, she wasn’t sure what kind of shoot she wanted. The photographer, understanding her hesitation, pulled out a sample album. “You can take a look at our past work. These are some of the styles we’ve done.” Flipping through the pages, Vera saw an array of stunning concepts—each picture more breathtaking than the last. Then, one particular set caught her eye. A Golden Age Hollywood theme.It was classic, nostalgic, and beautifully atmospheric. “Ca
After the wedding, Vera considered taking some time off for a honeymoon. But the thought quickly faded when she realized Caleb had been practically living at the hospital. With a sigh, she dismissed the idea. She was used to it, but to say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie. Her assistant picked up on it. “Mrs. Smith, don’t you want to go on a honeymoon?” she asked one day. “One of my friends just got married, and she’s been obsessively researching destinations. “She even said a marriage without a honeymoon is already half a failure.” Vera froze mid-page, suddenly losing interest in the documents she had been reviewing. Her assistant hesitated, then offered a suggestion. “Why don’t you go visit Dr. Smith at work?“You seem… distracted. Maybe seeing him will help.” Vera snapped out of her daze, suddenly aware of how preoccupied she had been lately. It was embarrassing to admit, but she had been zoning out far too often—especially after coming hom
Whenever they did this in the past, Caleb always maintained some restraint. But tonight—he didn’t hold back at all. He took her from the bedroom to the bathroom, then back to the bed, his searing kisses trailing every inch of her skin. The next morning, even as she woke up, Vera could still feel the lingering traces of last night’s intoxicating pleasure. As expected, she ended up taking the day off. It wasn’t until two days later that she finally returned to work. *Everyone at the company had already prepared for this. The moment Vera walked into the office, she was greeted with knowing smiles and teasing remarks. “Congratulations, Mrs. Smith!” “Newlywed bliss, huh?” “Three whole days off? Someone had a good time.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she had been up to. Obviously, her married life was going exceptionally well—so well that she had completely abandoned work for it. Under the weight of their mischievous stares, Vera barely k
Yelena still hadn’t accepted Hunter, but he wasn’t giving up either and was relentlessly closing in on her. Knowing Yelena’s soft heart, Vera figured it was only a matter of time before she gave in. She let out a sigh. Her friend’s love life wasn’t something she could interfere with. Besides, Caleb had already given her a little inside scoop. “She came to the hospital for a follow-up a few days ago,” he had mentioned casually. “Hunter was the one who brought her.” Vera had clicked her tongue at the news. Yelena always seemed quiet and reserved, but apparently, she was full of surprises.*Time flew by in the blink of an eye.By mid-month, Caleb had rented out an entire vineyard and spent several days transforming it into the perfect wedding venue.When the day arrived, the celebration took place right there.The vineyard was sprawling and elegant, every bit as grand as any luxury hotel—if not better. Even the wine cellar remained untouched, stocked with years-
“Did you plan this from the start?” Vera narrowed her eyes, feeling like she had just walked into a carefully laid trap. “Mm.” Caleb smiled, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Because yes—he had always been planning this. The biggest change in Vera’s life after the island proposal was the ring now sitting on her finger. It wasn’t just any ring. It was custom-made, something Caleb had specially ordered. She only found out by accident when she glanced at his phone one day and saw the purchase record. It had been ordered two months ago. Vera did the math and was stunned. He had been preparing for this long before she even started getting impatient. Her heart swelled with emotion. And as soon as Caleb’s parents heard that their son had finally proposed, they wasted no time pushing them to get the marriage license. *One day, Vera overheard Caleb’s mother lecturing him. “Your dad and I weren’t expecting much from you. With how much ti