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.

her culinary achievement. She beamed at us, “Ms. Finch, Russel, please try it and tell me how you like it!”

delicious. It looks very fresh,” I praised, even before

to your wife? She’s hurt her hand. You

unexpectedly, “She’s not left-handed.”

daily activities weren’t much affected, especially when it came to something as

though that was the case, when Neil

Neil a smile, “Right, I forgot one can eat with one hand. I just wanted to give Russel an

turned my head towards Russel, “He’s just a bit introverted in front

highlighting my relationship with Russel to Neil, I decided to play

a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

opposite us, had an inscrutable expression, mostly keeping his eyes on his plate and not participating much in our conversation.

bore for me, having to face Neil and Karina. Only Karina was enjoying herself,

to go to the restroom,”

left. My gaze fell on the bag lying on the edge of the table: She was so protective of that bag earlier. Why didn’t she just take

reached for a piece of lobster, and ‘accidentally’ smeared my hand with sauce, “Where are the wipes? I think Dr. Karina has some in her bag. Russel, could

think twice, and only glanced at Neil once. After all, meddling with someone else’s

present.

“Yeah, go

when I noticed something odd. There was a piece of rope in the bag, identical in pattern and thickness to the one

was the one behind it, why didn’t she just dispose of the rope in the ocean instead of keeping part of it in her bag? Wasn’t she

she went to the restroom. It was as if she was deliberately drawing my attention and giving me

the rope and confronted Karina with it as evidence when she returned. But I decided against it. Instead, I took

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