Derek's POV
Tabitha was right. I did plan to do so.
I could no longer bear the pain of losing her once again. I just wanted her to stay by my side forever so that I could see her anytime I wanted.
"Tabitha, I've tried to let you go, to let you live a free life. As long as you stayed in Seattle as promised, everything would've been fine. But you went back on your word."
I paused, my face screwed up in agony. "I've tried to control my possessiveness, seriously."
My restraint, however, just pushed her further away instead of helping her drop her fear for me.
During the days when she went missing, I lived like a zombie—totally drained and lifeless.
If I experienced it ever again, I would become a lunatic, I swore.
Thus, I decided that I'd rather she hate me than not be able to see her at all.
While I was lost in thought, Tabitha's question snapped me out of it. "How did we even get to this point..."
I put on a wry smile.
Came to think of it, there were like unbreakable chains wrapping around our relationship, locking both of us up in the cage of torture. Yet, I had no plan to break free. I'd rather stay with her in the cage.
She piped up again, "Derek, I never wanted it to get this way. I just wanted us to part on good terms. Yet now, our story is on everyone's lips..."
"Ignore what they said about us. Tabitha, you just need to know one thing: I've never stopped loving you."
Tabitha gave me a bitter smile. "You know what? If I had heard that six months ago, I'd have been over the moon. But now, your love for me is just a burden."
"Fine." I spread my arms. "As long as you come down, I'll listen to you. You don't want me to hurt him, right? Rolf, untie him."
Rolf immediately loosened the knots and freed Jasper from the ropes.
Jasper rushed over, wiping the rain off his face along the way.
"Tabitha, look! I'm fine. Come down, okay? We can talk and figure things out together."
"Jasper, I'm sorry. I don't think I have the chance to see the island you were talking about. Thank you for taking care of me these days. You're such a nice guy. I wish you every success."
Then she turned to me, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Derek, I once thought I could start afresh, away from all the schemes and intrigues—"
"Tabitha, I can take you to that island. I promise you."
"It's too late."
Tabitha looked down at me, and all I saw in her eyes were desperation and loneliness.
"Derek, I've been struggling against my suicidal tendencies."
She took a deep breath before continuing in a choked voice, "But the only way to end our messed-up relationship is death. I'm sick of all this shit. Goodbye, Derek."
"No, Tabitha!" I yelled.
However, she just averted her gaze. Then she loosened her grip on the railing and leaned back, ready to kill herself.
Just then, Jasper and I both lunged to grab her hands, stopping her from falling into the sea.
Although it was the first time we worked together, we managed to pull her back to the deck in one go.
I wrapped Tabitha into my arms, using my body to warm her up. "Tabitha, I'm sorry."
She made no reply.
I then picked her up and carried her back to the cabin.
As I brushed past Jasper, we exchanged a glance.
I was still rattled by all the blows Tabitha had dealt me lately.
After finally managing to save her, I didn't dare to do anything against her will again. So I had to dismiss the idea of locking her up for now.
I laid Tabitha on the bed, gently blow-dried her hair, and softly wiped away the tears on her face with a warm towel.
Then, I rummaged through her stuff and found a set of pajamas to change her into.
A moment later, there was a knock on the door. It was Alvin coming to deliver a cup of herbal tea.
After taking the tea, I returned to Tabitha's bedside, reassuring her, "Don't worry. I didn't do anything to that guy."
I carefully brought the cup to her lips, saying, "Come on. Take it so you won't catch a cold."
However, her brows knitted as soon as she smelled the tea.
Knowing how she hated the bitter taste, I coaxed, "I know it doesn't taste good, but you don't wanna get sick, do you?"
After a moment of hesitation, she drank it up with a grimace.
I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, "Seriously? It tastes that bad?"
Seeing her nodding, I said, "Then I'll give you some sugar."
Tabitha's POV
Before I could say anything, Derek had sealed my words with his lips.
My hands balled into fists as my body instinctively disliked his touch, not to mention his kiss.
Fortunately, it was just a quick peck. Before I could push him away, he pulled back on his own.
Then he gently ruffled my hair, just as he always did.
Fighting back my urge to roll my eyes, I asked, "How do you plan to deal with Jasper?"
"I'll let him go. Relax. I won't harm him."
Seeing him try to play nice, I decided to give him a break. So I took his hand and softened my tone.
"Yes, I promised you that I wouldn't leave Seattle, but I didn't expect to be kidnapped. Do you know how scared I was that day?"
Derek tightened his grip around my waist, his voice low from above me. "I can relate."
"She seriously wanted me dead. If I hadn't sensed something was off and hidden a knife on me in advance, I would've been murdered."
I clenched his shirt and added, "I bet you have figured out some stuff based on the information I provided. Let's just put aside whether my dad is Elena's murderer for now.
"Obviously, there is another person involved in the whole thing. She doesn't wanna hurt you but wants me dead so badly. And she's the one responsible for many things that happened for the past two years."
Derek gently ran his fingers through my hair, his voice soft. "Yeah, I know. She also planted some spies around me. After you fell into the sea, she pulled everyone out.
"Tabitha, I will uncover the truth, I promise. By the way, your dad was taken away a few days ago. Was it Jasper's doing?"
I entrusted my dad to Jasper's care because Jasper had no reason to harm me or my family.
Derek, on the other hand, was different. Before I figured out who the mastermind was, I couldn't tell him where my dad was.
Thus, I shook my head. "Jasper tried to rescue my dad at first but failed. He told me that there were a lot of people there, and it was total chaos. He even got stabbed in the back. Neither of us knew who had taken my dad away."
"You mean Jasper was there that day and got stabbed?"
"Yep."
Noticing the doubt in his eyes, I added, "I saw his wound with my own eyes. He fought so hard to save my dad. How could I not protect him?"