Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled

Chapter 396

I couldn’t be sure. The moment the thought took root, though, I couldn’t suppress it.

If Karina simply ignored me during my ordeal, I might have accused her of having an icy heart but if she intentionally tied that rope around my ankle, that’s a different kettle of fish. Wasn’t that akin to attempted murder?

“Neil, could you fetch me some wet wipes from my bag? My hands are all greasy,” Karina requested, shaking her oil-slicked hands in mild exasperation.

Karina had brought a bag, which was placed just a few feet away from me.

Neil responded, “Sure, in a moment.””

I got up first, “I’ll get it for you!”

Seeing me approach her bag, Karina’s expression momentarily flinched in resistance, she quickly stepped forward, “It’s okay, I’ll get it. God knows this bag is already dirty enough.”

She then moved her bag away to a place beyond my sight, only then did she proceed to take out a pack of wet wipes.

This action of hers seemed a bit odd. Was she worried that I would have seen something in her bag? Or was she just being protective of her privacy?

“What’s up?” My distracted demeanor caught Russel’s attention; he asked in a low voice.

“Nothing,” I snapped back to reality, shaking my head.

A while later, Karina and Neil prepared lunch, which was all seafood, complemented by a bottle of wine provided by the hotel. The spread was quite lavish.

Russel and I sat on one side, with Neil and Karina opposite us.

us, “Ms. Finch, Russel, please try it and

It looks very fresh,” I praised, even before

eat more,” Karina shot Russel a meaningful look, “Russel, shouldn’t you be more attentive to your wife? She’s hurt her hand.

unexpectedly, “She’s not

right-handed, so my daily activities weren’t

when Neil

“Right, I forgot one can eat with one hand. I just wanted to give Russel an opportunity to show his caring side. He’s always been so slow on the emotional uptake. I’m worried that Ms. Finch might not stand his

“He’s just a bit introverted

with Russel to Neil, I decided to

surprised, and a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. He seemed to relish my compliments.

sitting opposite us, had an inscrutable expression, mostly keeping his eyes on his plate and not

was quite a bore for me, having to face Neil and Karina. Only Karina was enjoying herself, initiating most of the

the restroom,” Karina announced midway

Russel, Neil, and me left. My gaze fell on the bag lying on the edge of the table: She

the wipes? I think Dr. Karina has some in her bag.

only glanced at Neil once. After all, meddling with

present.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

noticed something odd. There was a piece of

feeling overcame me. If Karina really was the one behind it, why didn’t she just dispose of the rope in the ocean instead of

as she went to the restroom. It was as if she

she returned. But I decided against it. Instead, I took the wipes, cleaned my hands, and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

The first thing she did was check her bag. Noticing it had been moved, she