Love Unspoken

Chapter 1204

When Quinn got back, Alexander was already up, sitting by the fire and staring hard at the cave entrance. "Where'd you go?" he asked.

Quinn glanced at the perilla in her arms and plopped down in front of him. "Feelin' any better?"

"Still kickin'," he said, his eyes roaming over her bare shoulders, checking her out from top to bottom.

Quinn caught his look and grabbed a coat from him to cover up, blocking his view.

Alexander chuckled. "You think I can do anything to you in this state?"

Quinn paused for a sec, ignored his comment, and started crushing the perilla to slap it on his wound.

He was still a bit feverish, and after she applied the stuff, sweat beaded on his forehead.

Quinn said, "You need to rest up. We'll talk when you're better."

Alexander suddenly hugged her. "You goin' out to hunt to feed me?"

Quinn was a bit taken aback. She could barely hunt; she was more likely to end up as some wild animal's dinner. "I'll figure something out. Just let go of me first," she said.

"I'm cold," Alexander said, tightening his grip.

Quinn tried to take off the coat she was wearing, but he stopped her. "Don't take it off, or I'll get turned on."

"Things are so messed up right now, and you can still get turned on?" Quinn said, feeling a bit speechless.

"If you keep your clothes on, I won't get turned on," Alexander remarked.

In the end, Quinn didn't take it off. She was afraid that before Alexander did anything, she wouldn't be able to handle it herself, especially since the medicine's effects hadn't worn off yet. After a while, she pushed Alexander away, stood up, and said, "I'll go collect some firewood. Rest up."

She walked out of the cave and started gathering firewood nearby to avoid running out like the previous night. She piled several stacks at the cave entrance.

Meanwhile, Walter had been in the village for two whole days without making any moves.

Sean had gone out and returned to find him still sitting at the entrance, sipping tea like he had all the time in the world. Sean couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Didn't you say you were gonna find Alistair? Why are you still sittin' here?"

Walter glanced at him and smiled faintly. "What's the rush? Alexander ain't coming out anytime soon. Why are you all so antsy?"

Sean sneered. Of course, he was anxious. He wanted to find Alistair ASAP, partly to stop him from escaping and partly 'cause he feared Alexander might not wanna come out after staying in the forest too long. "It's none of your business. If you're not gonna find him, then don't stay here," Sean said irritably.

"In that case, I won't stay here," Walter said slowly.

Then he patted the wrinkles on his pants, stood up leisurely, walked past Sean, and got into his car without looking back.

Sean stared blankly at the car. Did he really leave?

The others exchanged puzzled looks, not quite getting what Walter was up to.

After a moment, Sean realized what was happening and quickly ran to his car. "Follow him."

The car drove on the bumpy road, followed by several other cars. Walter turned his head slightly and looked through the rearview mirror.

He chuckled.

Sean kept following him, from the dirt road to the paved road, and then along the paved road for a long time.

As they approached the bustling area, Sean got a message on his phone.

He opened it and saw it was from an unknown number: [You bringing so many people 'cause you're afraid Alistair won't notice you?]

Sean was stunned and instinctively looked at the car in front of him.

He had been bringing a lot of people these days, but they never managed to catch Alistair, partly because of this reason. However, if he didn't bring enough people, he was worried they wouldn't be able to handle Alistair and his crew.

So it was a bit of a dilemma. Bringing people could easily alert Alistair, but not bringing enough people could mean they couldn't win a fight.

He thought for a while and finally decided to send everyone back. But before he could give the order, another message from Walter arrived.

Walter: [Have them split up and act separately. Don't stay together.]

Chapter 1203

After a short walk, the fire in her hand fizzled out, leaving just some glowing embers. It was still tough to see, but hey, better than pitch black.

She crouched down, using the faint light to scrounge up some dry branches. While gathering firewood, she accidentally brushed against a few bugs, which totally freaked her out. She patted her chest, taking deep breaths. Even though she was scared, she kept searching for firewood under the trees. There wasn't much else around, but there were plenty of dry branches. She quickly bundled them up and hurried back. Once inside the cave, she felt a bit more at ease.

She let out a long breath, dropped the firewood on the ground, and noticed a few centipedes and some other creepy crawlies in the pile. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed a stone and smashed the centipedes that crawled out, then tossed the other bugs straight into the fire. While burning them, she kept glancing over, worried her noise would wake Alexander.

But honestly, she wasn't being quiet, and Alexander didn't wake up.

Usually, he'd wake up at the slightest noise, but now he was out cold.

Quinn hesitated for a sec, then carefully walked over to him, squatting down and reaching out a finger to check his breath. He was still alive.

She let out a sigh of relief, but before she could pull her hand back, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Looking up, she saw Alexander still had his eyes closed, just holding her hand.

A force pulled her wrist, and she fell into his arms, where he held her tight.

"Cold, let me hold you for a while," he croaked.

Quinn stayed still, pressing against his chest and listening to his steady heartbeat.

The fire beside them crackled, and she could smell the bugs burning.

The fire was about to die out again, so Quinn had to break free and toss in more firewood.

She glanced back at Alexander, his brows furrowed, and his forehead still sweaty.

Quinn walked back, reached out to touch his forehead, and found it still burning hot.

But he said he was cold.

She gritted her teeth and took off her clothes to cover him. She still had a dress underneath, though it was pretty torn up.

Since there was no one else around, she took off one sleeve and tied the torn dress into a few knots, barely covering her chest.

The firewood she had collected burned out, and it started to get light outside, making it barely possible to see.

Quinn grabbed a dagger and headed out again.

Finding food was a no-go; she was on the hunt for herbs. Besides mugwort, she didn't recognize much else. She pulled up a lot of mugwort and found a cluster of perilla on her way back. Quinn was kinda excited; perilla seemed useful and maybe better than mugwort.

She dropped the mugwort and ran over, cutting a big bunch of perilla with her dagger. She even thought about taking the whole cluster back.

But as she pulled aside the vines, a black-and-white snake coiled in the grass, making her face go pale. She dropped the vines and stumbled back.

She tripped over something and fell to the ground.

She watched the snake slither out of the grass, her limbs weak. The perilla she had picked fell, and she didn't dare move, instinctively gripping the dagger.

Quinn was ready for a life-and-death showdown with the snake, but to her surprise, the snake ignored her and slithered away.

She let out a sigh of relief, trembling as she got up from the ground. She then picked up the fallen perilla and, not daring to take more, hurried back with what she had.

Chapter 1202

By the flickering firelight, Quinn finally noticed how pale Alexander looked-way paler than he had been earlier.

Alexander grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his forehead. "I'm good. Just gotta sweat it out."

His voice was weak, and even his coughs sounded feeble.

Quinn squatted down to check his wound.

In this weather, it probably wasn't a cold; more likely, his wound was infected and causing a fever. If that was the case, they were in deep trouble.

She untied the cloth strips on his body. The wound on his arm looked the same, but there was a swollen area on his back, the deepest part of the wound, showing signs of pus. "Your wound's infected," Quinn said, worried, glancing at him. "What do we do? Got any disinfectant in your pocket?"

Alexander shook his head, a bit amused. "Nope, you really think I carry everything in my pockets, huh?"

"So, what now?" Quinn asked.

"I won't die," he said, looking at her again. "Are you worried about me, or worried you won't get out?"

Quinn opened her mouth, ready to say the latter, but when she saw the serious look in his deep eyes, she held back.

Unlike his usual teasing, this time he was dead serious.

So she swallowed her words.

Alexander stared at her for a long time, and when he didn't get an answer, he looked away and tossed some firewood into the fire.

"Don't worry. I won't die that easily. Even if I do, I'll make sure you get out first," he said calmly.

Quinn's eyes flickered. She lowered her head and was silent for a moment before suddenly getting up and heading out.

Before she could leave, Alexander grabbed her wrist. "Where you going?"

"I'm going to get some water to boil. You got salt, right? We can use saltwater to clean your wound." She added, "I'll be right outside, not going far." It was late, and she didn't dare go far.

Alexander let go of her.

Quinn went outside, dug some soil near the spring, and made a makeshift pot. There were a few banana leaves in the cave, almost dry but still usable. After cleaning them, she lined the pot with the leaves, filled it with spring water, and brought it back to boil over the fire.

She tore a piece of the bedsheet, washed it in the water, and then poured the remaining half bottle of salt into the boiling water.

"You used it all up. What are we gonna eat?" Alexander asked.

"Who cares about eating when your life's on the line?" Quinn soaked the cloth in the water for two minutes, then took it out to clean his wound. He seemed really weak now, sitting quietly without his usual teasing.

Quinn cleaned his wound over and over until the water was completely cool, then she put down the cloth.

She asked Alexander, "Feeling any better?"

Alexander smirked. "It's not that quick."

Quinn pressed her lips together and draped the remaining piece of the bedsheet over him. "Then rest for a while. I'll tend the fire."

Alexander leaned against the cave wall, watching her with lowered eyes.

"And you say you don't care about me," he said.

not wanting to talk to him, silently

was almost gone. She glanced back at Alexander, who had closed his eyes,

because of the fever

should make him feel

as she stepped out. But the

Chapter 1201

face. She shot up, touched her face, and sighed in relief when she realized it was just dew. This forest had her

looked around and noticed Alexander was nowhere to be seen. She

moment of confusion, she

him coming from a distance,

banana leaves, fruits, and

dropped his haul, and said,

nodded and glanced at the stuff on the ground. "Aren't we

just scouted the way and found the direction of the cave.

felt a bit more at ease. Being in the cave was better than being out in the wild; at

than a bloody one. They had cooked a lot of wild veggies yesterday, but they weren't filling at all. He

cleanup, they packed the leftover

they trekked through the forest, they ran into a bunch of unfamiliar creatures, and even with Alexander by her

without realizing it. When the forest darkened, Quinn finally saw the familiar cave, which

two days

dark outside again. Alexander lit a fire inside the cave. Quinn looked at the sky outside,

help but ask Alexander, "Can we really

at Quinn, and said, "After we

"Why are you asking

After we get out, can I see you again?"

Quinn fell silent.

it made her seem ungrateful, she couldn't bring herself

won't get

stunned. "What do

don't plan to see me after we get out, why should I risk my life to scout the way

seen how

lip, thought for a moment, but still

she was

day, she leaned

opened her eyes and saw Alexander sitting by the fire,

sat up straight. "What's wrong with

fire. The blazing fire lit up the cave, and even from a distance, Quinn could feel the heat. Yet he said he was cold, which was clearly not normal. She quickly

have a fever?" she

Chapter 155

an insistent piece of gum, utterly shameless. "What kind of fortune did our village strike? Is there a demolition? A payout? Why

toppling over as he snapped back, "There were no renovations or payouts! The people in our village work hard and earn their living honestly, unlike your family, who

the

learned about Felicia's background after she returned to her biological family. Before that, they had

Shawn's family were

nothing close to a huge sum. That's not

clear-he would extort even more if given

he said. "What did you

"N-Nothing."

wasn't foolish enough to reveal his plans. After all, he had already made a deal with Kayla. Once he got rid of Felicia, the

villagers who looked down on him would

with himself. Meanwhile, the others in the village were unwilling to deal with such a scoundrel. They quickly left

"Lucas, go find Felicia. Tell her Shawn is back in the village and making a scene. She

"Got it!"

a little boy, quickly abandoned his

long been abandoned. Since

had been living

few sweet potatoes from the still-warm hearth. These were left over from breakfast, and Macey had tossed

of the sweet potatoes was darkened from the heat, but once peeled, they released steam and smelled wonderfully sweet. "Felicia!" Lucas blinked,

he still felt hungry when he saw them in the hands

she handed one to him. "Here, this is for you. Be careful, it's hot. I'll peel another one."

few bites, he remembered his grandfather's instructions and reported, "Felicia, my grandpa sent me to tell you that Shawn is back and making a fuss.

else did

said that brat hasn't figured out what to

couldn't help but

thinking it through, he was being chased for debts and had already lost a couple of fingers. He was likely desperate, clinging to Kayla and trying

wonder why Shawn

Chapter 154

the car

had a notorious reputation for petty theft and mischief. He was caught harassing young ladies and married women by the river multiple times, often leading

with disgrace. Naturally, the villagers

were

that his status had risen above that of the villagers, whom he looked down

boast. But before he could say a word, the villager scoffed. "Make sure to take good care of that rented car. Otherwise, you might not get your deposit back!" Laughter erupted around

face flushed with

car was

sports car, but Lance seized

en

his disgrace. Instead, he sneered, "You group of frogs in a well, you dare to look down on me? Do you even know what

who was actually Cody, shot him a cold glance and retorted, "What status? What's the status of a debtor with missing fingers? That sounds

Shawn's hand was wrapped in thick bandages.

Shawn's face twisted with rage. "Did

one responded

darkened further as he spat

standing closest to him, overheard that. Though he was typically kind-hearted, he wasted no time before slapping Shawn across the face. "You bastard! Just start behaving like

Just as he was about

looked furious. His expression was a

ready to explode,

I.ne

much had changed in the village. Behind the village lay fields abundant with. crops and further ahead were fows of

and every household had repaired their homes. There were even numerous construction projects underway, depicting a scene of vibrant prosperity. Shawn stood there, dumbfounded. Was this still the impoverished village

Chapter 153

she dug her nails deep into her palms as she suppressed the almost frenzied and twisted emotions threatening to erupt. She managed to hold back her anger, though just barely. "Arnie, my foot hurts. Can you carry me over there?" she asked, her voice laced

behind to arrange repairs. Moreover, Kayla had traveled such a long way to get here; it was impossible for her to be sent

examined her foot and found nothing wrong with it, yet Kayla insisted that she had

all night, her face was pale and pitiful. It made

on

evident as she jumped onto his back.

gazes, Arnold carried

no big deal for the villagers since they didn't know them, but the students participating in the training program couldn't help but make a few teasing remarks

to the village, Arnold originally intended to have the village head find another family for Kayla to stay with. However, with all the other families' houses already full and Kayla stubbornly refusing to be separated from him, he had no

there was only one empty room in

college doctor checked Kayla's foot and confirmed it wasn't serious. Feeling relieved, he placed her on the bed and turned to

en

I'm scared..." Arnold had been planning to find a separate place to stay. After all, it would

as her

made Arnold's heart soften, but he still insisted, "You get some rest. I'll be in the living room. If you need anything, just

to a burgeoning anger that threatened to explode! "Felicia!"

determined to eliminate Felicia, the thorn

Shawn, her voice low as she snapped, "Why haven't you arrived yet?

driving. "It's

felt a

she had invested was considerable. As long as Shawn's actions bore fruit, it would alDbe worth

Chapter 152

and Felicia didn't bother to find out who would tow the Fuller family's car away

she had left that Kayla finally snapped back to reality from the shock of the night before. Clinging tightly to Arnold's waist, she looked

mouth, intending to say, "This slope isn't high; it's not as dangerous as you think." However, the words were caught in his throat, and he ultimately swallowed them. Instead, he said, "It's alright

first arrived at the scene panic-stricken. It was only after Felicia scolded him that he realized his concern was causing him to lose

it was too late to say such

Arnold, fearing that if she let go, he would disappear. Her pitiful appearance made it difficult for him to reject

group of students who had heard about the incident rushed over

have rushed over in the middle of the

absent from college for a long time and wasn't on the list for this training program. She had only gotten wind of the situation because her good friend, Olivia, had informed her to come

felt some resentment

life miserable was welcome in her

said, "Kayla, what terrible duck you had, getting into a

words were laced with sarcasm, and Arnold could clearly hear it. He shot her a

to pick up on the indifference on Arnold's face, and her heart

over the past few days. Otherwise, he wouldn't

Arnold's gaze and was taken aback to find that he was consistently looking

me these past few days. You even hung up on me yesterday. Do you know I

spoke, Arnold seemed

and asked, "Arnie, who

seemingly casual question drew an unexpected reaction from Arnold. He immediately denied it, his voice filled with resistance as he replied, "Don't

unmasked. While Kayla initially wanted to

claimed not to like

Chapter 151

Ruben, she asked, "Ruben, what caused the accident? What

one of the Fuller family's dedicated drivers. He was always on standby and had years of driving experience,

me to drive her to Alverton. I wasn't familiar with the road and mistakenly followed

but she had also taken out her frustration on him

driving all day, he lost focus for just a moment, causing the car to veer off the road and get stuck on the edge of the slope. From their perspective inside the vehicle, it felt like they were hanging over a precipice, so they didn't dare to move. Even when their phone fell at their feet, they hesitated to pick it up, fearing that bending down would make the car sway dangerously. It wasn't until Arnold called this morning that the car audio system automatically answered and allowed them to call

the angrier he became. If it hadn't been for Kayla

to be a driver for the Fuller family and that she would make sure he was fired as soon as they got

his reason, he would have wanted to take Kayla down with

reflected on this, he tightened his grip on the memory

dashcam. If Kayla pushed him too far, he had evidence to

Felicia didn't pry further.

villagers felt relieved

who had been scolded by Arnold earlier, tried to leave but was stopped by Felicia. "Mr. Gibbs, wait a

She walked

to Arnold and saw

up to

he was tightly

was crying. He comforted

had just

Unable to hold back,

Kayla and turned his attention

was cold as she stated, "You

bit awkward and gently tugged at Felicia's sleeve. "Licia, let's just let

she let it

Felicia stood her ground.

was studying in another city. Any daughter would be upset if she found out her father had been treated this

an apology; it wasn't like she was asking for a piece of Arnold's flesh. An apology was absolutely reasonable,

his composure. Regardless of