Day Fifty-Seven…
~~*****~~
Stephen and Ethan proceeded to his cabin where no one could overhear them. Little Ethan was anxious since Stephen looked very serious. Upon reaching his cabin, Stephen invited him to sit down.
Ethan obediently sat down opposite Stephen. They were now facing each other. The young boy lowered his head, avoiding Stephen's eyes. With the way Stephen was looking at him, he somehow felt guilty for doing something bad.
"I'm not here to scold you. Your Uncle Aiden already made his point a while ago. And I have to admit that your Uncle Aiden was right." Stephen took a deep sigh.
Ethan just remained silent. He knew that he disappointed Stephen. Despite that, his Uncle Stephen was very calm while talking to him.
"The mountain is not a child-friendly place for a five-year-old kid like you. You shouldn't wander off without us. What you did was so reckless. Now… tell me honestly." Stephen paused for a moment, placing his hand over Ethan's left shoulder.
"Why did you do it? What is your motive?" Stephen asked him frankly. He could sense that Ethan had a reason for his action. However, he couldn't figure it out. He won't do something reckless without a goal in mind.
Ethan clenched his fists and remained tight-lipped. How could he tell Stephen that he did it because he wanted to know if Jane still cared for him?
"Right now… your Dad and Miss Jane are wandering in the mountain under this heavy rain just searching for you. Are you not worried about them?"
When Stephen mentioned that, Ethan lifted his head and looked at him with mixed emotions. 'She still cares for me… But why… Why is she not talking to me? Was it because I hurt her feelings when I ran away and ignored her before?' Ethan came to a realization.
"I'm sorry, Uncle… I acted without thinking of the consequences." Ethan finally apologized for the trouble he caused by leaving without telling them. "I just did it… because I felt like I was being neglected by someone. I wanted to know if that person would still care about me."
Stephen frowned when he heard that. He wasn't certain if Ethan was referring to Nathan or Abigail. "Ethan, you have to understand. Your dad is trying his best to get close to Abi. And you know that Miss Abi couldn't remember you… so it's just natural that the way she treats you is now different from the past."
Ethan chewed on his lower lip. 'I'm not referring to my Dad or Miss Abi… but Miss Jane…'
"Yes, Uncle. I understand. Again… I apologize for my misbehavior." Ethan bowed down. Deep down, he somehow felt guilty. But part of him was rejoicing because this incident proved that Jane was concerned about him.
Stephen exhaled deeply before patting his hair. "Now, go and change your clothes. You got soaked from the rain. We don't want you to catch a cold." Stephen dismissed the young boy. He couldn't get mad at him. However, he was worried about Jane. The rain continued pouring.
Ethan was about to leave when he suddenly halted on his steps. "Uncle, do you think my Dad and Miss Jane were together?" Ethan asked him expectantly.
"I don't know. But I hope they are together. I will go and find them. I'm not sure if they have already read my message. I texted them that you were back."
"Uncle. Don't go. Just stay here and wait for them. I don't want you to catch a cold too. Miss Jane and my father are adults. They could easily find their way back here." Ethan said this because he didn't want his Uncle Stephen to disturb the two. He was aware that Jane was trying to win Nathan's affection once more.
Stephen wasn't able to respond. He was contemplating whether to go or not. He didn't want to make it obvious that he was worried sick about Jane.
"Okay. I'll wait for the rain to stop before searching for them. Go and change your clothes now."
Ethan's lips curled up in a satisfied smile. He was glad that he was able to make Stephen stay with them.
'I hope she and Dad are just fine.' Ethan turned in the direction of the mountain forest.
*****
Meanwhile, back in the mountain forest, Jane and Nathan were still clueless that Ethan managed to go back to the resort safe and sound. Jane looked more worried than Nathan himself.
Despite her injuries from the fall, she continued wandering around, searching for Ethan. Nathan just followed her behind, silently observing her. He didn't know if Jane was putting up an act so that he would appreciate her gesture by showing her concern toward his son.
When he could no longer watch her pretentious act, Nathan grabbed her elbow, stopping her. "Can you slow down a bit? Stop acting already. I should be the one worrying about my son. Why are you pretending that you care about him?"
Jane was tired of this. Nathan could only see her bad sides. He always assumed the worst things about her. Couldn't he see her sincerity? Nathan was too blinded by his anger and resentment that he couldn't see the goodness in her heart.
"I'm not going to argue nor defend myself. Nothing will change your impression of me. I will find Ethan no matter what. And I will not ask anything from you. I don't have any expectations from you. I just want to see him safe!" Jane pulled her hand away from Nathan. She turned around and moved forward. She didn't want to waste time.
Nathan was caught off guard by her sudden outburst. He felt her anger a while ago as she shot him a cold sharp glare. He took a deep sigh. Subconsciously, he continued following her.
As time went by, Jane could already feel the fatigue. She slowed down a bit as she felt her body getting weak and tired. Her legs also began to hurt. And the cold weather was making things worse for her.
"Damn it! I have to find Ethan before I lose all my strength. Where are you, kiddo? Please be safe." Jane mumbled to herself. Before she knew it, she stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Nathan was there to hold her, preventing her from hitting the ground.
"Careful," Nathan blurted out as he caught her waist in his arms. Their bodies made contact with each other and Nathan noticed that Jane was already burning up.
'She has a fever.' Nathan thought to himself.
Then Jane steadied herself. His warmth made her less cold. 'Damn! My body is not yet fully recovered.' Jane cursed inwardly. Back in her assassin days, cold weather like this was just nothing to her.
"I think we need to take shelter first. It seems that the rain will not stop pouring." Nathan suggested. He could already feel that Jane was exhausted from walking nonstop.
Jane was about to refuse but Nathan spoke again. "I can see the cave nearby. Who knows my son is there, waiting for the rain to stop."
Jane bobbed her head with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Yes. Let's check the cave!"
Nathan heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, Jane listened to him. Nathan guided her to the cave to take shelter for a moment until the rain stopped. Jane's body was already trembling from the coldness. At this moment, Nathan took his jacket off and put it around her back.
Jane turned to him and said with a serious look on her face, "If you want to give me warmth… then why don't you hug me instead? Your wet jacket will just make me freeze!"
Nathan: "..."
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶