Chapter 3 at a glance
1429 Words
Pain!
Seawater engulfed Dilan. The icy chill pierced him to the bone. The intense pain kept his eyes squeezed shut. His head felt like it was about to explode. Fragments of memories, not his own, flooded his mind.
"Pinellia, Balloon Flower, Dahurian Angelica, Licorice Root, Turtle Shell, Ginkgo Seed, Paris Rhizome…"
All names of medicinal herbs found in the wild. They swirled within him, threatening to tear him apart. Dilan struggled to grasp them, but the memories remained elusive.
…
Time blurred. Finally, a warmth enveloped him, flowing through his body. Dilan slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself up. The scene before him was a far cry from the opulence of the cruise ship. A vast beach stretched out, bordered by jagged rocks and small hills. The wind was biting, and waves crashed against his feet.
Looking at the jade pendant in his hand, Dilan shook his head, fighting through the pain to recall what had happened. He remembered trying to save Ashley on the ship, then being struck from behind. He'd lost consciousness, only to wake up here. Before blacking out, the ship had lurched violently. Ashley had fallen as she ran towards him. It seemed the ship had hit a reef. The ship… had sunk!
"Ashley!"
If he was here, Ashley might have been washed ashore too. His only concern was her safety. He ran along the beach, past debris and wreckage, but there was no sign of her. A sense of dread settled over him. Could something truly have happened to her?
Just as he was about to give up, a flash of white caught his eye amidst the swirling water.
"Ashley!"
Without hesitation, Dilan rushed towards her. Ashley lay trapped beneath a piece of wreckage, her face pale as if she were gravely ill, her life hanging by a thread. Dilan strained with all his might, a strength he hadn't realized he possessed, and heaved the debris off her.
…
"Water in the lungs, superficial abrasions, unconscious but stable." The diagnosis left Dilan's lips the moment he lifted Ashley into his arms.
He began chest compressions. Only after Ashley coughed up several mouthfuls of seawater did he pick her up again and carry her towards a cave he’d found earlier. It wasn't large, but it offered shelter from the wind.
Dilan set to work. The island air was cold, made worse by the wind. Their clothes were soaked through. He wasn't concerned for himself, but Ashley was delicate. He gathered dry branches and began to make a fire, finally coaxing a spark to life with immense effort.
Looking at the flames, he felt a pang of self-mockery. He'd grown up in the mountains, then been sent to an orphanage. There, he’d devoured books and documentaries about wilderness survival. He never thought that knowledge would actually come in handy.
It took him a while to remove Ashley's wet clothes. He couldn't understand why modern clothing had to be so complicated. But when he looked up, he froze. Ashley lay before him, her exquisite body bathed in the moonlight, as white as snow. Dilan was momentarily captivated. He almost had a nosebleed.
Though they were husband and wife in name, only Dilan knew the truth. He had never touched her in all these years, let alone seen her like this. His feelings for her, rooted in their childhood, were entirely one-sided.
…
Dilan fought back his impulses and began drying her clothes by the fire. Once they were almost dry, he lifted Ashley and began to dress her. But then, the worst possible thing happened.
*Slap!*
Ashley opened her eyes. Seeing Dilan, she slapped him without hesitation. The sound echoed through the cave. Five bright red fingerprints bloomed on Dilan's cheek.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Ashley glared at him, as if ready to tear him apart. Dilan had a bad feeling. Her look alone sent a shiver down his spine.
"Ashley, let me explain…"
He didn't get a chance.
"You're cowardly, you avoid conflict, but I thought you were at least a good person at heart. That's why I agreed when my father arranged our marriage. But I never imagined you were this kind of person! Taking advantage of me? I was so wrong about you! You've truly disappointed me!"
…
Ashley's words tumbled out, leaving Dilan no room to speak. In her eyes, he saw only anger and disappointment.
…
"I was just drying your clothes!" Dilan wanted to cry. If he'd known this was how she'd react, he would have… well, he didn’t know what he would have done, but it certainly wouldn’t have involved diligently drying her clothes. Now, he'd done nothing wrong, yet he was condemned.
He stood up and walked towards the cave entrance.
"Where are you going?" Ashley's voice was still icy.
"Stay here. I'm going to see if I can find anything useful." Dilan practically ran out of the cave. He couldn't stay there any longer, lest Ashley unleash another slap.
Unbeknownst to him, as soon as he left, Ashley's icy expression melted into a small smile. Looking at the dry clothes in her hands, she shook her head.
Dilan began a thorough search of the beach, gathering anything that might be useful, including a first-aid kit from the ship. Before the tide came in, he dug a series of traps in the sand, hoping to catch some fish.
"Bear Grylls, eat your heart out."
Not far away, a few other survivors huddled together, weeping. Dilan ignored them. What good was crying now? He supposed that these people, accustomed to lives of luxury, didn't know what else to do.
He took the opportunity to survey the island. It wasn't ideal, but survival seemed possible.
The tide receded. Thankfully, his efforts weren't in vain. Several fish were trapped, enough for a meal for him and Ashley. Ignoring the cries of the other survivors, Dilan proudly carried his catch back to the cave.
A rustling in the bushes caught his attention. A woman lay on the ground, unconscious. A man was tearing a strip of fabric from her dress to bandage a wound on his leg. Dilan recognized the woman as Bethany, who had been by Ashley's side since they boarded the ship. It seemed she, too, had been washed ashore.
"Damn it! I finally get a vacation, and I'm going to die here," the man grumbled. "I spent my life being your brother's lapdog, and now you're finally in my hands. We're both going to die anyway, so I might as well have you first. This is what you get!"
…
The man reached for Bethany.
Dilan hadn't intended to intervene. Simon had treated him so poorly; this was karma for his sister. But as he turned away, he hesitated. Innocent family members shouldn't suffer for the sins of their relatives. He couldn't just stand by and watch.
He glanced around, picked up a small rock, and hurled it at the man.
"Ow!"
Clearly surprised, the man scrambled to his feet, forgetting his undone pants, and stumbled away.
Once the man was gone, Dilan emerged from the bushes.
"You'd be in trouble if it weren't for me." He hoisted Bethany onto his shoulder. Whether it was his imagination or not, she felt much heavier than Ashley.
"Bethany?" Back in the cave, Ashley stared in surprise as Dilan carried Bethany inside.
Dilan briefly explained what had happened. Ashley sighed.
"You didn't do anything to her, did you?"
"Huh?" Dilan was taken aback. How could she even think that? Was that how she saw him?
"You should think about what to do with her. Her brother isn't a good man." Watching Dilan busy himself with cooking the fish, Ashley recalled the events before the shipwreck. She hadn't expected Simon, with his gentle demeanor, to be so cruel. None of this was Bethany's fault.
And she hadn’t expected Dilan, despite knowing he was no match for Simon, to rush to her defense. Even if the outcome had been… embarrassing.
"Pervert!"
The aroma of cooked fish filled the cave. Just then, a foot flew out, aimed at Dilan.
"Are you crazy?!" If he hadn't reacted quickly, the fish he'd just cooked would have been on the ground.
"Pervert!" Bethany showed no signs of stopping. "You tried to take advantage of me while I was unconscious! I'll kill you!"
"Bethany, it's a misunderstanding!"
"Ashley, why are you still with this pervert?!" Bethany cried. "He's a disgusting creep! He just tried to assault me!"
"I'm warning you, I don't hit women. Don't make me."
- Writer
