My Love for You Broke Me

Chapter 209

As there was a distance of three meters between us, I was afraid to jump, especially when I was dressed in an intricate and troublesome gown.

Had it been Shawn down there, I would have jumped without any hesitation. It was then I understood how much I relied on him.

I admitted that I felt aggrieved during the eight months he was gone, but I knew that he had good reasons for doing so and that I should not have treated him like a stranger. I should not have distanced myself from him because of disappointment and guilt.

How could I have kicked a fuss with him when I loved him dearly?

I let out a sigh at the recollection when Bertie frowned. "Are you jumping or not?"

After taking a deep breath, I leaped out the window. Due to the sheer force, he had to take a step back to maintain his balance, but he still caught me firmly.

I patted my chest in aftershock while he whispered, "You should get off me now."

I swiftly freed myself from his arms as he tidied his shirt and commented, "You look skinny, but you weigh a lot."

"I'm not even close to a hundred pounds."

"Women who are under a hundred pounds are usually flat or short." He shot a look at my chest, prompting me to defend myself with a dark expression. "It's not that flat!"

I'm at least a B cup.

"You look quite pretty in the gown, like a Disney princess. Your hair is too long, though!"

My hair was at waist level, which I thought was too long as well, but I kept forgetting to visit the hair salon.

In response, I gave him a side-eye and scoffed. "Don't worry about others' hair."

"Girl, why are you always so annoyed?" He was not good at clapping back.

Soon, our friendly squabble was cut short by the sudden sound of footsteps nearby. He grabbed my wrist and the two of us hid behind the flowerbed.

"Did you hear something?"

"I think it could be the cats."

"Let's get going. It's too cold out here."

When the sound of footsteps faded, Bertie took my hand and left the villa. He was oddly familiar with the layout and knew the exact path to get out.

After ten minutes of walking, I turned around and saw the villa in the snowy landscape, which resembled a prison locking up the lives of those who served there.

I was sympathetic toward the people in the villa, especially Olga, the maid. It was unclear what she meant by her duty and faith, but it sounded important to her, to the point that she could endure the isolation and refuse to leave.

I mumbled, "What is faith?"

He answered without thinking, "It's life."

I looked at him incredulously. "And what does life mean to you?"

He let go of my wrist and said, "In our profession, we always put our lives at stake. One mistake, and everything would turn into ashes."

Everyone had their way of navigating life, and it was out of place to interrogate him further. For some reason, I lost interest in learning more about Bertie because he gave off an unsettling vibe. If I discovered his deepest desires, I might end up unlocking Pandora's box.

As such, I changed the topic. "Lend me your phone. I need to call Shawn and tell him I'm safe."

He spread his arms. "I don't have a phone."

I gave him a shocked look. "For real?" I went ahead and searched him, only to find that he had no possessions. Even his gun was left in the villa.

Taken aback, I gulped. "You're bold."

He raised a brow, held my shoulder, and explained in a pitiful tone, "I have GPS on my phone. If Jon finds out that I am gone, he will track me down, and I can't save you. It's all because of you that I cut off contact with them and place myself in such a dangerous situation."

Jon must be the guy who nagged him on the helicopter.

"What do we do?"

"We'll walk to the nearest city," he suggested with an earnest expression. Feeling frustrated, I glared at him. "I asked the maid and she said the nearest city is forty to fifty miles away! How many days would that take by foot?"

Not to mention that the weather was icy cold and looked like it was about to snow at any time. The night would fall soon, and the temperature would drop even more. How would we survive in this winter hellscape?

I felt a rush of regret for leaving the villa with him. Giving up, I wanted to turn back, but I worried that I would only put Shawn in danger if I remained a captive.

At last, I came to a tough decision. "Let's hurry."

"Girl, why the temper?" He chuckled devilishly. "It's a mere forty or fifty miles. That's half a day of walking for me. It's the perfect exercise for your petite figure!"

Ignoring him, I walked on with the heavy gown on me. Half an hour later, he came up to me and smiled

sweetly. "Oh, right. I need to tell you something."

I suppressed my annoyance at him. "What?"

"We went in the wrong direction."

Hearing that, I felt like I was struck by lightning, and my ears buzzed from the shocking information. Even my freezing body was trembling violently.

"Girl, we gotta turn back…" he sang.

How dare he put on that adorable face! I wanted to slap him, but I could not do that to his pretty face. I kept my calm and said, "Please take the lead."

This time, he walked in front of me. Perhaps he knew that I was dying of cold, he asked me to wait for him for another thirty minutes.

Although he was a thorn in my flesh, I still appreciated his company on the journey and feared that he would abandon me. I could not help but stare at him with puppy eyes. I wanted him to stay, but I was too embarrassed to admit that.

He read my mind and put on a serious face. "You must wait for me. I will be back in thirty minutes!" This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Then, he left decisively and disappeared into the snow. Not long after, it started snowing!

My body felt colder than before, and the hem of my gown was already soaked from the snow. Thankfully, the inner parts of my outfit were dry.

As night closed in, I saw Bertie running toward me, emerging from the white and flurry landscape like a cheetah, with a piece of clothing in his hand.

As he approached, I saw that he was holding a black cloak that looked luxurious and warm. He draped it across me and pulled up the hood. At last, the cloak saved me from the unbearable cold!

Smiling brightly, he asked, "Are you warm now?"

Feeling touched, I questioned, "Where did you get this?"

"I stole it from the villa. Look, I stole an apple for you too. Let's move and hope that we get to the city by dawn."

It would have been great if he had stolen a car for us instead!

Having said that, he stuffed the apple into my hand, after which I grabbed it and followed him on our treacherous journey. Within two hours, my stamina was exhausted, and I tumbled on the snowy ground a few times as my vision started to go blurry.

When I fell once more, I called out to him in exasperation.

He turned around and squatted in front of me. "Can you walk?"

I shook my head. "I can't!"

My hands and feet were stiff from the cold that had reached every inch of my body, but he chuckled at

me quietly. "You look just like my mom."

"What about your mom?"

"When she needs help from my dad, she would always play cute."

I retorted, "But I am not playing cute."

"Your eyes are literally begging me to carry you on my back."