Chapter 78
Chapter 78
“My glasses fell off p>
Chris’s voice was hoarse. After he said it, Winter heard him suppress a couple of coughs.
She frowned.
By now, night had fully swallowed the mountains. The snow in the valley reflected just enough light that it wasn’t completely pitch–black.
She let her eyes adjust to the dimness before realizing he was right. The glasses were gone from the bridge of his nose.
Years ago, a car accident had left Chris temporarily blind. His vision had eventually returned, but not without lasting damage. His eyes had abnormal refraction, something like severe astigmatism, so he had to wear glasses. Whether his vision would ever fully recover was still uncertain.
Without them, especially in this darkness, he was almost blind.
After the fall from the cliff into the snow, his hair had come loose. A few strands hung over his forehead as he lowered his head slightly, as if trying to sense the faint traces of light around him.
Seeing him like that brought back memories of those years when he couldn’t see at all.
She forced down the sudden surge of emotion and murmured a quiet acknowledgment. She then let go
of his hand as she stood up.
The moment she rose, he grabbed her wrist. Because he couldn’t see, his hand searched blindly, his fingers slipping between hers.
Before she could pull away, he curled his grip tight, locking their hands together.
He coughed again, the sound rougher this time.
“It’s safer if you stay with me p>
Winter suddenly raised her hand in front of him.
“How many fingers am I holding up p>
He frowned. “What p>
“See? You can’t even tell I’m holding up two. And you’re saying it’s safer if I stay with you p>
She shook off his hand and pulled his coat tighter around herself.
“I’ll be borrowing your coat for now p>
She turned and walked a few steps to the side, carefully feeling for dry branches and stones underfoot. When she looked up, the cliff was swallowed by mist and lingering smoke. She couldn’t see anything.
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She couldn’t hear anything either.
After holding her head up too long, dizziness hit her. Her forehead was injured, and she had been standing in the freezing wind for far too long. After just a few steps, her vision blurred.
Who knew how long it would take before they were rescued.
Behind her, she could hear his uneven footsteps and the faint sound of his coughing.
The sound irritated her in the dark. It made her head spin even more.
He seemed to kick a stone or a fallen branch and stumbled, pausing to catch his breath.
Her steps stopped abruptly.
She turned to look at him, still stubbornly following her despite everything. A wave of dizziness washed
over her.
Without another word, she found a few stacked branches and sat down.
The moment she did, he seemed to hear the movement. He stopped advancing and stood just two or three steps away. His back was no longer as straight as it usually was.
In the dim light, his dark eyes looked even more intense, fixed in her direction even though he could barely see her.
As night deepened, the temperature in the valley dropped sharply.
Winter touched her forehead. It felt warm, almost hot. She let out a quiet sigh toward the cliff face.
Time passed, second by second. Her forehead burned hotter while the rest of her body grew colder. She began to shiver uncontrollably. After exhaling a cloud of breath, she no longer had the strength to keep her eyes open.
She sniffed softly and forced her hand up to press against the wound on her forehead.
The pain cleared her head slightly.
But the sharp intake of breath that followed did not go unnoticed.
He moved toward her.
His knee nearly bumped into her head. She instinctively reached out to steady him, but he caught her hand instead.
Their hands were equally cold. He had given her his coat. He was not much better off.
She tried to pull free with all her strength, but the effort only drained her faster. Her teeth chattered as she forced out the words.
“Did you really kill Jacob p>
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.