Third person's POV
Derek still coughed intermittently. After escorting Tabitha to her door, he stopped in his tracks.
With a slight bend in his waist, his gaze was tender and concerned as he looked at Tabitha, his voice hoarse with a hint of a rasp, "Ms. Hartley, once you're back, you must rest well. Remember to cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep. Don't catch a cold. The wind on this ship is strong. Both you and Ayla need to take care of your health."
After speaking, he looked at Tabitha deeply one more time, as if to etch her appearance into his heart, before turning around and slowly leaving.
Derek was well aware that Tabitha's constitution was much weaker than that of an average person.
His illness hadn't fully recovered, and in this poorly ventilated environment, germs could spread easily. If he were to infect the child and Tabitha, the consequences would be unimaginable.
For the sake of their health, he decided to return to them only after he had completely recovered.
Moreover, Tabitha had only reluctantly agreed to let him stay.
Under these circumstances, he thought it best to maintain a certain distance from Tabitha, trying not to add any psychological burden to her.
Thus, he handed a dagger to Tabitha with great solemnity, his expression grave as he admonished her, "Ms. Hartley, stay in your room and do not venture out casually. As long as you do not go out, there will be no danger."
Tabitha returned to her room to find Forrest and Ayla playing merrily.
Ayla, like a little artist, had plastered Forrest's face with stickers of stars and moons, adorned his neck with her own little necklace, clipped earrings onto his ears, and even decorated each of Forrest's ten fingers with fake nails.
Forrest, holding a magic wand in hand, muttered incantations, "Balala..."
He was about to spin around to cast a spell when he suddenly noticed Tabitha standing by the door, his smile freezing on his face.
With a hint of embarrassment, he quickly said, "Ahem, Ms. Hartley, you're back so soon."
Tabitha, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel puzzled. She really couldn't understand where Wilmot had found such a treasure.
Moreover, she felt as if Forrest was more invested and happier than Ayla.
"Uh, didn't I cause you any trouble?" Tabitha asked.
"No, no trouble at all. Ayla is very well-behaved. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now," Forrest said hurriedly, peeling the stickers off his face.
"Sweetheart, say goodbye to Forrest," Tabitha told Ayla.
Ayla waved her hand and said in a sweet voice, "Goodbye."
But just after speaking, she seemed to suddenly remember something important, her little eyes sparkling as she quickly stepped forward and grabbed Forrest's hand.
"Where is Wilmot?" Ayla asked, looking up with anticipation in her eyes.
Tabitha quickly explained, "He will come back when he's well, sweetheart. Be good. Forrest also needs to go back and rest."
"Oh." A trace of disappointment appeared on Ayla's little face as her mind began to wander.
She wondered to herself, 'Did Tabitha and Wilmot have some disagreement?'
'Why hasn't Wilmot come back for so many days, and instead, Forrest has come?'
'Will she never see Wilmot again?'
Once this thought emerged in her little mind, it was like a seed falling into fertile soil, quickly taking root and sprouting, growing larger over time.
Two more days passed, and Derek still hadn't returned.
Tabitha noticed that Ayla's mood had noticeably sunk over the past few days. She was worried, unsure if Ayla was getting tired of being on the ship for so long.
"Sweetheart, we will dock in a few days. Can you hold on a bit longer?" Tabitha gently stroked Ayla's head and spoke softly.
Ayla didn't want Tabitha to worry and nodded understandingly.
Finally, one evening, Ayla found an opportunity.
After Forrest delivered the afternoon fruit and pastries, Tabitha closed the door as usual.
Recently, at this time every day, Tabitha would do some aerobic exercise, while Ayla would take her usual nap.
To avoid disturbing Ayla's rest, Ayla slept in the outer partition, with Tabitha inside practicing yoga with music playing.
After finishing her yoga in the primary bedroom and basking in the relaxation that followed the exercise, Tabitha was unaware that the child on the bed had quietly opened her eyes.
Ayla's thoughts were simple. She believed that if she followed Forrest, she would find Wilmot.
So, she quietly brought a small stool, carefully stepped on it to climb onto the bed, and then reached for the door. Her movements were very light, making almost no noise throughout the process.
The door was finally opened, and she gently, slowly pulled the door towards her, fearing to make the slightest sound.
When she stepped into the corridor, she found that Forrest had already disappeared.
Ayla frowned, thinking that since Forrest usually went to the left, if she ran fast, she should be able to catch up with him.
With this thought, she quickened her pace and trotted to the left.
Tabitha finished her yoga, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and was secretly satisfied.
After working hard for a while, she was pleasantly surprised to find the outline of muscle on her lower abdomen.
She planned to increase her exercise volume when she felt more energetic gradually.
After a quick shower to clean up, she prepared to wake Alya to eat fruit.
But when she walked to the bedside and found the bed empty, she was initially stunned, not yet realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Sweetheart, are you in the bathroom?" Tabitha said, walking towards the small bathroom in the partition. When she found no one there either, her brow furrowed.
Seeing the stool by the door, a terrifying thought flashed through her mind.
'Damn it!'