When fate plays its hand (Miranda)

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Chapter 0682

“Sam, I’m here!” Miranda called out with all her strength.

In the tropical area of the botanical garden, dense rainforest growth severely restricted visibility, making it easy to get lost for those unfamiliar with the terrain. Although Sam had asked Madison for directions before entering, he only knew the general area where Miranda might be.

The deeper he went, the weaker the light became until he was enveloped in total darkness. It was pitch- black, with visibility so low he could barely see his own hand. Armed with only a flashlight, he scanned the area in narrow beams, calling her name as he moved cautiously forward.

Luckily, he was persistent. After about half an hour of trudging through puddles, just as he was about to search in a different direction, he heard Miranda’s response.

“Don’t move! I’m coming!”

“Alright!”

Her voice sounded stable, which reassured him that she likely wasn’t in any immediate danger. Finally able to breathe a bit easier, Sam moved quickly in the direction of her voice and soon spotted her wedged between two large rocks.

Even with just a quick sweep of his flashlight, he could see her disheveled appearance. Mud smeared her clothes and face, her hair was tangled, and her backpack looked damaged. He quickly rushed over and helped her to her feet.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked urgently.

When Sam had first received the news, his mind had flashed to worst–case scenarios. Now, seeing her alert and conscious–albeit muddy but without visible injuries–he finally felt a wave of relief.

Miranda shook her head. “No major issues, just a sprained ankle. Did you come alone?”

“When I left, the staff were gathering a search team. They should be here soon.”

Seeing her soaked through, Sam immediately took off his windbreaker and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Which ankle is hurt? Let me stabilize it to prevent further injury.”

to reveal her ankle. It was now swollen with dark bruising. spreading across it, looking painfully

sharp intake of breath as he touched the injury. He pulled back, testing a different spot. “Does

her head. “Not too

assessing the situation. “It doesn’t seem like a bone

it first.”

used vines to secure her ankle. “All set. You

resist. She bent forward to lean on Sam’s back, resting her hands somewhat awkwardly on his shoulders. After all, this was the

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Chapter 0600

possible

her securely on his back in one quick motion. Sensing her discomfort, Sam reminded her, “The ground’s uneven. You

a couple of seconds before lacing her hands together

the way back?” Miranda suddenly broke

looking for you, I saw a heated rest area. In your

nod, and silence

Irk like this?”

alone,

missed our meeting spot. Besides, there aren’t any large predators in

“You’re quite

else would

a good way to release

nothing I need to vent

I won’t even get the chance to lend a shoulder or pass a tissue?” he

Miranda stayed silent.

after about five minutes, a faint rustling sound reached them. Both of them immediately grew cautious. Yet in the next instant, a beam of flashlight cut through the

voices while passing by and suspected it was Miranda, so he’d

“You’re hurt? How bad is it? How large is the