Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled

Chapter 400

Was that woman really smoking with such a severe lung condition? That question gave me pause, and I swallowed the words that had come to my lips, “All right, hop in.”

Russel glanced at me but remained silent, not prodding for more details.

After the two strangers got in, they barely conversed. They were mostly buried in their phones, texting away. They seemed exhausted, puffing on cigarettes non-stop, without any consideration for others.

I didn’t stop them from smoking, but their behavior struck me as odd.

After we dropped them off at their destination, they went their separate ways. They didn’t offer any gratitude or payment. It was not like I needed it, but they left me with an unpleasant feeling.

In the rear-view mirror, their figures disappeared into the roadside.

“Serena! Brandon!” The moment I got home, I couldn’t help but rush to find my two little treasures. Seeing me, my parents quickly brought the kids to me.

“Oh, Mommy’s home! Serena and Brandon, Mommy’s back!” My mother handed Serena over to me, her voice laced with laughter, “How was your trip? Did you have fun?”

They surely didn’t know about my encounter with Neil and Karina. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have asked.

To keep my mother’s spirits up, I nodded and responded, “It was great, but I missed the kids too much. So, I came back early.”

Just then, Russel walked in with a cell phone in his hand. “I think this phone belongs to those people from earlier, They must have accidentally left it in the

car.”

was an old, nondescript model. It was not

the phone wasn’t password-protected. A message popped up, saying, “Money has been transferred to your account.

seemed like a transaction, but what caught my attention was the contact name. The name was

was of Karina, who had saved the woman on the island, gaining her

text history, it became clear that the woman was

and reputation, she wouldn’t have needed to resort to such tactics unless she was trying to win over the

reading the messages, I felt a sense of

wrong?” Russel asked, noticing my

phone had several debt collection messages. That couple probably owed much money and were waiting for Karina to pay them for their performance.

the next morning, I saw her at my doorstep, holding

yard, basking in the morning sun with Serena and Brandon, when I spotted her. My first

emerged from behind Karina, shouting, “Daddy, hurry up!”

few seconds later, Neil appeared beside Karina,

them, asking, “What

I came to apologize,”

talk, so I didn’t get a chance. I’ve been feeling guilty ever since.

or gifts. And what’s

but with Karina spilling the

was a coincidence,” I admitted, then turned

ing for? Speak

an accident while diving, right? I think I was nearby at the time. I was wearing a rosy red diving suit. I wonder if you saw me. I didn’t wear my contact lenses because I was going underwater,