Leah's POV
"Can you hear me, Leah?" I heard a voice in oblivion.
I felt that my breast was pressed by a giant pair of hands.
I wanted to inhale some air, but my mouth was sealed by something soft and tender.
Someone was doing CPR on me?! Where am I?
I used my effort to push the man away from me.
"Leah, you're awake!"
I opened my eyes and saw the blurry image of Darren.
He was soaking wet. His hair, normally styled with precision, was now wild and tousled as if the winds and waves had taken it upon themselves to reshape it.
The man's clothes clung to his body, soaked through with salt water, and he shivered despite the warmth of the morning sun. But I knew it was not the cold that had caused him to tremble - it was the adrenaline that coursed through his veins.
"What happened? Where am I? Did you save me again?" I shoot out a string of questions before I coughed out the remaining salty fluid in my lungs.
I felt that I was about to cough my entire lungs out.
"We've been looking for you for a whole night! Everyone was panicking and no one was able to do anything. I had to abandon them and trace the current. Then, I managed to find you floating on the Huffner River. Jalin was mad and I was pretty sure he was ready to drain the entire ocean to find you."
I chuckled and it made my lungs hurt. I coughed more water and took a deep breath and regained my breath.
"Jalin's a reliable person. It's just that he intends to get overly worried when it comes to me," I said.
Then, I looked up at Darren and said, "Did you do CPR on me?"
Darren wiped the water on his face and said, "I had to do it. I didn't have a choice. You weren't breathing, Leah."
"So, practically, we kissed," I mumbled.
Darren licked his lips and didn't say anything. He pulled a blanket and wrapped it around me. I pressed my face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, which was particularly loud and fast today.
Then, I realized that it wasn't his heartbeat. It was his mobile buzzing.
"Ooops," Darren lowered his head and placed his chin on my shoulder while he was checking his mobile. "I have to pick this up. It's your husband."
"Don't answer it," I said in a dry voice and pressed my hand over his phone.
Darren sighed and said, "Leah, it was raining heavily last night and no boats could go out for rescue. Lucas thought you were drowned to death. We have to put him in a restraint jacket to stop him from hurting himself. I hate to say it, but people around you are dependable in most cases, but they are useless whenever something happens to you. I'm just saying."
"Yet you manage to remain calm," I said in a low voice.
"Well, at least one of us should be accountable." Darren winked and pressed the answer button.
"Did you find my wife?!" Lucas' voice sounded hysterical on the phone. Darren had to put his mobile away from his ear.
"Yes, Mr. Farrow. Your wife is with me right now." Darren took a pause when he realized that his way of putting it sounded weird. "I mean, Miss Lewyn is in my custody..."
OK. You just have to make it weird. I thought to myself.
"Is she alive?!" Lucas' voice was deafening.
"She is alive. She is breathing. Not even a single scratch on her," Darren said.
"How do you know there's no scratch on her? Did you check all over her body?"
"I don't know, Mr. Farrow. Do you want me to check it for you? Because she's right here and I can do it right now." Darren said with a naughty smile on his face.
"Put her on the phone right now, Swanson," Lucas ordered.
Darren gave his phone to me.
I refused to take it and withdrew a bit.
Darren sighed and said to the phone, "Mr. Farrow, I'm afraid Miss Lewyn doesn't want to talk to you right now. I'm going to put you on speaker, so you can shout at each other"
Darren said and switched the call to the speaker.
"Leah, listen, I'm sorry," Lucas' voice suddenly softened.
"I don't want to talk to you." I said in a harsh voice." You took advantage of me! You knew I was influenced by the drug and you did it to me anyway. I hate you and I'll never go back to you."
"Leah, listen to me. You're totally insane right now. Where are you? Stay wherever you are. I'll go and pick you up," Lucas said.
"Do not come anywhere closer to me! I don't want to see you!" I shouted.
"But how about Finn? Don't you want to see him?!" Lucas' voice sounded threatening.
I became furious and torn at the same time. "Don't mention his name to me! If you say his name one more time, you'll never see me again!"
Then, I started to cough violently.
"Leah? Leah?! Are you there? What happened?" Lucas barked on the phone.
Darren said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Farrow. I think it's better for both Miss Lewyn and you to chill out a bit."
Lucas immediately said, "Who are you to decide what's best for us?! Listen, Swanson. Tell me where Leah is!"
"Don't tell him!" I screamed with tears falling down my cheeks.
"Your wife doesn't want to see you, Mr. Farrow. I'll take her for a ride and bring her back to you as soon as she calms down," Darren said.
"No, Swanson! Don't you dare to hang up on me! Stay on the line!"
"I don't work for you, Mr. Farrow. And you made Leah so upset that she's crying. So this is me, hanging up on you." Having said that, Darren killed the line.
"Where are you taking me?" I sat on the back of Darren's bike and asked.
"I was about to take you to the lake house. But since we're already here, I think we can take a tour." Darren handed me a helmet and pointed at a bay area in the distance. A giant river was running into the ocean like a white swirling belt under the sun.
The view was breathtaking. The waves crashed against the shore, their salty spray mingling with the cool, clear water of the river. For a moment, the river hesitated, as if unsure of its place in this new world. But then, with a final surge of energy, it rushed forward, eagerly joining with the endless expanse of the sea.
"This is Huffner River," he said. "where you're going to build a bridge and set up markets." Then, Darren pointed at an island at the center of the bay. "That's Mediland. Have you ever been there before?"
"No. I heard it was a horrible place, full of rogues and outlaws," I replied.
"I've spent all my life in the army. I know nothing about running a business. But I know if you want to start a business in a place, you'd better go to that place and take a look. Maybe you'll get some new inspirations."
"But isn't it supposed to be a dangerous place?" I frowned.
"Yeah. But you're with a more dangerous man." Darren tilted his head and smirked at me. "So I guess everything will be fine. Put on your helmet, Miss Lewyn. I'm going to take you for a ride."