Chapter 174 If You Still Don't Wake Up, I'll Throw You Down

Chapter 174 If You Still Don't Wake Up, I'll Throw You Down

Time wasn't on their side. Seeing Nicholas hesitate at the edge of the yacht, Harper simply grabbed him and shoved him overboard, then jumped in right after him.

Nicholas's cry of alarm was swallowed by seawater before it could escape his throat.

The moment they hit the water and swam just two meters forward, the yacht exploded behind them.

The massive shockwave from the blast surged toward them, propelling them closer to shore while simultaneously injuring their internal organs.

Nicholas felt his strength draining rapidly, and his vision began to blur. "Harper, I don't think I can make it. Just go. Leave me. Looks like I'm going to end up as fish food."

If he'd had any energy left, Nicholas would have forced out a self-mocking laugh.

After what Nicholas had almost done—helping Claire throw her into the ocean—Harper's first instinct was to leave him behind.

But because Nicholas hadn't gone through with it, she'd been able to wake up and escape death.

Still, leaving someone to drown didn't sit right with her conscience. Harper reached out and grabbed him. "Save your breath and swim toward shore. If you really want to feed the fish that badly, I'll let you."

Given the choice between life and death, who would choose death? Nicholas certainly didn't.

With Harper's help, he pushed himself to keep swimming toward the beach.

Supporting each other, they finally reached the shallow water where they could lie on their backs without drowning, though their bodies still soaked in the surf.

By the time they made it there, Nicholas had completely exhausted his strength. After struggling to flip onto his back, he passed out immediately.

Harper's energy was nearly depleted too, though she was in slightly better shape than Nicholas. She dragged him with difficulty onto the beach, then collapsed beside him, completely drained.

After lying there for quite a while, Harper finally mustered enough strength to get up. She walked around, surveying their surroundings, but nothing looked familiar. She had no idea where they were.

Her phone was probably still back in that valley. Without it, she couldn't contact anyone.

Harper pulled out Nicholas's phone, only to find that the seawater had ruined it too. She put it back in his pocket.

"It's the middle of the night, and Nicholas is injured. What am I supposed to do?" Harper muttered to herself, at a complete loss.

Especially with Nicholas unconscious, she had no way to move him on her own. She could only wait for him to wake up.

Time crawled by. After what felt like an eternity, Nicholas finally came to. Harper let out a breath of relief. "You're finally awake. If you'd stayed out any longer, I really would have left you here."

Nicholas struggled to sit up, clutching his chest. Pain radiated through his torso and back. "I knew you wouldn't leave me. If you'd wanted to, you would've been long gone."

Harper pressed her lips together, not taking the bait. "Can you walk? If so, let's look around for shelter. We can't spend the night on the beach."

Nicholas knew his injuries were serious. He answered uncertainly, "I'm not sure. Maybe... I think I can?"

Harper stood first, then helped Nicholas to his feet, letting him test whether he could walk.

With her support, Nicholas managed to take a painful step forward. He could walk, technically, though it barely made a difference.

Staying put wasn't an option. Harper had no choice but to support Nicholas as they shuffled painfully along the beach.

As they moved forward, Harper heard sounds coming from the water behind them. She turned to look—a fishing boat was approaching the shore. Both she and Nicholas felt a surge of hope. A fishing boat meant people lived nearby, which meant they wouldn't have to sleep outdoors tonight.

Harper settled Nicholas on a rock to rest, then ran toward the boat.

Four men climbed off the vessel, sorting through their catch. They'd clearly just returned from fishing. Harper approached politely. "Excuse me, do you live around here? I'm lost. Would it be possible for us to stay at your place for the night?"

The men looked up at Harper. Even in just the moonlight, her beauty was evident. Though her clothes were dirty, they couldn't hide her figure.

One of the men's eyes suddenly widened. His gaze swept up and down Harper's body repeatedly. The look made Harper deeply uncomfortable, but for the sake of securing shelter for the night, she endured it.

This same man suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "We do live nearby. I'm Mike Newman. These guys are all from our village. My house is the best one there. If you need a place to stay, come to mine."

The other men said nothing. Clearly, this Mike was the highest-ranking among them, and the others followed his lead.

With no other options, Harper could only nod. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. Otherwise we'd have to sleep outside tonight."

'We'? That implied more than one person. Mike asked, "You have someone with you?"

Harper pointed to Nicholas sitting nearby. "Yes, there are two of us. He's injured, so I had him rest over there."

The other men continued working while Mike followed Harper to Nicholas's side. Honestly, Mike felt a twinge of resentment toward Nicholas—the guy was better-looking than him. "What's your relationship?"

Harper didn't give Nicholas a chance to speak, answering first. "He's my brother-in-law. I'm his sister-in-law. We fell into the water by accident and got washed up here. Our family should find us here by tomorrow, most likely."

"What are your names?" Mike pressed.

Harper saw no reason to hide it. She gave both their names directly. "I'm Harper. He's Nicholas."

By then, the other three men had finished packing up and walked over. Mike gestured to Harper and Nicholas. "Let's go. We'll head back together."

Harper's face showed her difficulty. "The thing is... my brother-in-law is injured. He can barely walk."

"What a hassle." Mike genuinely found it troublesome, but he knew Harper wouldn't come without Nicholas. He motioned for one of the other men to carry Nicholas on his back.

The group set off together toward Mike's house.

Since they had lanterns, the journey went relatively smoothly. As they neared their destination, Harper observed that Mike and the others lived in a village—a fishing village, by the looks of it. Their income likely came entirely from the sea.