Third person's POV
After visiting the snake pit, Derek had cleaned himself up, and now Tabitha needed to freshen up too.
She secured her hair with a hairpin and, knowing Derek couldn't see her, walked into the spring pool without any reservations.
The water temperature was just right, and soaking in it was extremely comfortable. With Derek out of harm's way, she finally relaxed and dozed off at the edge of the pool.
People tend to unwind significantly after a crisis.
Derek, not hearing her return, called out softly, "Tabitha, Tabitha..." When there was no response, he grew anxious.
He moved swiftly toward the pool, like a blind man crossing a river, calling out her name repeatedly.
He missed a step, and water splashed onto Tabitha's face.
"Is there an ambush?" Tabitha glanced around warily, only to see Derek sprawled in the water, looking flustered.
She had intended to tease him, but seeing his helpless state—blind and fumbling in the water—she lost the heart for it.
"Derek, I'm fine," she reassured him.
Hearing her voice, Derek stumbled through the water toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Tabitha, where did you go? Don't scare me like that. I finally found you," he said, his voice filled with panic.
The cave was dimly lit by a few solar-powered lamps Tabitha had brought back, their soft glow complemented by a sliver of moonlight piercing through a crevice in the ceiling.
Looking at Derek's face, etched with worry, Tabitha felt a lump in her throat.
She was unaccustomed to seeing the once-arrogant Derek so vulnerable and anxious. It felt unreal, as if she were in a dream.
"Tabitha, why aren't you saying anything? What's wrong? I can't see you—don't scare me," Derek pleaded, his frustration mounting as he tore off the eye bandages.
"Why am I blind? Tabitha, say something..."
Tabitha gently pushed him away. "Derek, the problem isn't with me—it's with you."
Derek's palm, already wounded from the stone path, had reopened. The blood seeped through the water, staining the gauze red.
Tabitha had bandaged it earlier, but his desperate movements had caused it to split open again.
"Derek, you don't have to act like this," she said coolly.
Derek dismissed her concern. "Tabitha, I'm fine. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."
Tabitha's heart felt heavy, damp and oppressed, as if a storm had settled within her.
Emotions, like creeping moisture, spread through her, leaving her feeling restless and insecure.
She pushed Derek away, frustrated. "Don't think I'll pity you just because you're acting pitiful. You brought this upon yourself."
Derek's unkempt hair, longer than before, clung to his face when wet, adding to his forlorn appearance.
He pressed his lips together. "Yes, I know. I know you'll never remarry me, no matter what I do. Tabitha, I ask for nothing. I just want you to be safe and healthy."
Tabitha wished he would revert to his former arrogance rather than this current state.
He was the one at fault, so why did she feel a sense of guilt?
The injuries were his to bear, not hers.
She understood this, yet her emotions remained clouded.
In one agile motion, Tabitha leaped from the pool's edge.
Derek noticed his vision had slightly improved. Though still blurry, Tabitha's outline was clearer than before.
She wrapped herself in a bathrobe and turned to see Derek, drenched from head to toe, looking like a drowned dog. Her irritation flared once more.
How did such a delicate man become like this now?
"Here, let me help you up, and I'll rebandage your wound," she said, extending her hand.
"Okay," Derek replied.
Derek fumbled for her small hand and, with Tabitha's assistance, climbed out of the pool.
As he stepped onto the shore, he slipped and instinctively pinned Tabitha beneath him.
The two of them tumbled into a disheveled heap. Derek, flustered and embarrassed, tried to get up but only managed to make a bigger mess of himself.
He had always been a man of composure and self-control, yet with Tabitha, all his calmness and restraint had flown out the window.
The more carefully he tried to act, the more things spiraled out of control.
"Let me handle it," Tabitha said with a sigh.
She understood—just as she had gone through a period of despair after learning of her limited time, even contemplating death, Derek too had his moment of breakdown.
It's challenging for anyone to suddenly face such a reality and accept it calmly.
To prevent Derek from complicating things further, Tabitha soothed his emotions and fetched some clean clothes, placing them within his reach.
"Here are your clothes and pants. Can you change on your own?" she asked.
"Sure, but which way is the front?" he replied.
"Forget it, I'll do it," Tabitha said.