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.

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

fresh,” I praised,

your wife? She’s hurt her hand. You should be helping her with her food, or

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

right-handed, so my daily activities weren’t much

the case, when Neil said

bit, but Karina remained relaxed, even offering Neil a smile, “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

head towards Russel, “He’s just a bit introverted in front of others, but he’s actually quite attentive

Karina was so keen on highlighting my relationship with Russel to Neil, I decided to

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

his eyes on his plate and not

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

to go to the restroom,” Karina announced midway through

and me left. My gaze fell on the bag lying on the edge of the table:

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 you fetch

After all, meddling with someone else’s belongings wasn’t really polite, especially with

present.

indifferently, “Yeah,

glances. That’s when I noticed something odd. There was a piece of rope in the bag, identical in pattern

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?

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

she returned. But I decided against it. Instead, I took the

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