Chapter 223

Chapter 223

Joshua didn't have time to dodge, and the phone hit his forehead again.

Though it hurt a bit, it wasn't nearly as bad as when Ella had thrown it at the back of his head before.

He endured the pain, picked up the phone, and held it out to her. "Just hang in there a little longer. We'll be there tomorrow. I'm sorry, this is my fault, making you feel so awful. Let me massage you!"

To calm Ella down and get her to keep going, Joshua humbled himself completely. He knelt behind her, reaching out to massage her shoulders and temples.

Ella irritably dodged his touch.

"I told you, I want to go back! Make them take me back right now. I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second!"

She'd never been in a moving car this long before. Her stomach was churning, waves of nausea making her feel like she was about to throw up, but nothing would come out. This torture was driving her crazy.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Joshua moved closer again and lowered his voice pleadingly. "Ella, don't be angry. You can hit me, yell at me, whatever you want."

He tried a different approach to convince her, "For Aurora and Dorian's sake, just bear with it a little longer, okay?"

"Don't you see Aurora is carsick too? Joshua, don't you think you're being too selfish? This is what YOU wanted to do, so why are you dragging us along to suffer with you?"

Ella's voice rose, and Dorian, who was in the tent, was startled and poked his head out to look at them.

The two drivers sitting nearby said nothing. They were just hired to drive. Their boss's family matters were none of their business, and they had no interest in getting involved.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Joshua cupped her face, apologizing over and over.

Ella glared at him, about to explode again.

Before she could speak, Joshua leaned down and kissed her lips, trying to block all the anger that was about to pour out. He thought this would quiet her down.

But the next second, Ella shoved him away hard and slapped him across the face.

Her eyes were full of disgust as she stared at him.

"You insisted on dragging me to this place with no signal just to cut off my contact with Michael, didn't you? You think this will make me forget him and live happily with you?"

"Dream on! I'm leaving right now. Even if I have to walk, I'm walking back."

With that, she struggled to stand up. Despite feeling terrible, despite the darkness outside and the rough road ahead, she was determined to leave.

Joshua did hate Michael, but bringing her out here really wasn't about that. He was trying to find the tribe's high priest to break the "love spell" on her.

Seeing that Ella was really going to leave, Joshua's pent-up emotions finally exploded.

He quickly stepped forward to block her, his tone no longer gentle. "Can you please stop making a scene? Even if you love someone else, shouldn't you at least feel ashamed of your behavior? You're carrying my child!"

"Aurora and Dorian are right there watching. Aren't you afraid she'll learn from you?"

Joshua couldn't understand. Maybe Ella's personality had changed drastically because of this so-called "love spell," but her memory was still intact. Shouldn't she have some basic sense of responsibility? How could she lose control like this in front of the kids? He was already exhausted, and just when they were about to find hope, she was about to destroy everything.

Joshua felt he couldn't keep indulging her without limits.

"What did you say?" Ella's face flushed red instantly, a strong sense of shame washing over her. "Do you think I want to act like this in front of the kids? If you'd let me leave, I would've left ages ago. You're the one who made me like this, don't you realize that?"

Joshua's expression turned completely cold, his eyes icy. "That's right, I brought you here, and I'm stopping you from leaving. But look at your belly. Did I force you to get pregnant with this child? Since you're carrying my child, you should take responsibility. Even if you love someone else, at least take care of your own child first."

He was really getting fed up. If it weren't for his love for her, he couldn't possibly tolerate what she'd been doing lately.

Ella suddenly fell silent.

She looked down at her slightly swollen belly, her mind in chaos. How did she get pregnant with Joshua's child? Wasn't Michael the one she loved? Why was she carrying Joshua's child?

She remembered that in Eldoria, Joshua had saved her, and they'd survived together in the wilderness. After returning, he proposed to her, and she agreed. According to these memories, she must have liked Joshua to agree to marry him and be willing to have his child.

But when did she fall in love with Michael?

Thinking about it this way, Ella realized her behavior was really terrible. Not only was she emotionally cheating, but she was also calling Michael right in front of Joshua without any shame. No man could tolerate this kind of behavior. Even she couldn't accept herself like this.

She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, her consciousness becoming fuzzy, the discomfort so intense she could only crouch down holding her head.

"Ella, what's wrong?" No matter how angry Joshua was, he didn't want anything to happen to her. He immediately crouched down and held her.

Ella was still struggling painfully, trying to understand why she fell in love with Michael when it was so wrong. But Michael's image wouldn't leave her mind. She felt terrible; her head felt like it was splitting open.

"Ella, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. Tell me where it hurts, don't scare me, okay?" Realizing something was wrong, Joshua immediately softened, worried about her and the baby.

Ella leaned against him, painfully clutching his clothes, as if fighting something while trying to stay conscious, saying incoherently, "I don't know why I'm like this, I shouldn't be like this. How could I love someone else while carrying your child? I can't control myself, Joshua, my head hurts so much, please help me."

She banged her head against Joshua's chest in pain.

Joshua was terrified and quickly protected her head, his heart racing with worry. He'd only thought about bringing her to find the high priest but forgot to bring a doctor just in case.

Just then, Dorian crawled out of the tent and ran to them. "What's wrong with Mom?"

Joshua knew Dorian had medical talent and quickly said, "She says her head hurts. Dorian, take a look."

Dorian quickly pulled out his small needle kit, drew out silver needles, and inserted them one by one into acupuncture points on Ella's head. Watching his calm and skilled movements, Joshua felt both worried and amazed. "Won't this hurt your mother? She's carrying a baby."

"It's because of the baby that I can only use acupuncture. Hold her tight, don't let her move." Dorian said seriously, his small face showing a maturity beyond his years.

Joshua held Ella tightly. Before long, she quieted down and passed out in his arms.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked anxiously.

Dorian put away the needles, checked his mother's pulse, and sighed. "I made her fall asleep. She'll probably sleep for a whole day. This way we can reach our destination smoothly."

"She'll be okay, right? It won't affect the baby?"

"Her emotions were too unstable before, which wasn't good for the baby. Letting her sleep more is actually better for both her and the baby. Don't worry."

Joshua trusted Dorian's judgment. He picked up Ella and returned to the tent.

The next day they continued their journey. The sleeping Ella no longer suffered from motion sickness and didn't fuss about going back.

After traveling for a day and a night, they finally arrived near their destination. But getting into the village wasn't easy. The car couldn't go in, and they had to walk over the mountain path ahead.

After scouting with a drone, the driver discovered that the village they were looking for was located in a huge pit, surrounded by cliffs on all sides.

To get in, they had to climb over a mountain first, then pass through a naturally formed tunnel at the foot of the mountain.

After learning about the terrain, everyone could only proceed on foot. Since Ella was still asleep, Joshua carried her on his back. The two drivers carried the luggage and looked after the two children.

After walking for several more hours, they finally reached the tunnel entrance, only to be stopped by two burly men dressed strangely, with cloth wrapped around their heads and feathers stuck in them. They spoke in an incomprehensible dialect, fiercely driving them away.

Aurora and Dorian immediately stepped forward, using their innocent childlike manner to plead with them and explain their purpose.

The two men could understand Mandarin. Seeing the cute children, their attitude softened a bit, and they replied in Mandarin, "Go back. The high priest won't help outsiders break spells."

Hearing this, Joshua's heart sank, but at the same time, he confirmed he'd found the right place.

He gently set Ella down, letting her lean against the luggage, then stepped forward to negotiate, "As long as your high priest is willing to help my wife, I can fund your village's development. Money and supplies—whatever you need—it's not a problem."

The scenery here was indeed beautiful, but the living conditions looked very basic. There was probably no electricity or internet.

The two men exchanged glances but still refused, "We don't need any development. Our high priest hates city people the most. Leave now, or don't blame us for not being polite."