I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 675

I fashioned a crutch out of a sturdy branch and hoisted his tall, heavy frame onto my back. Using a piece of my clothing, I lashed us together, tying it around his uninjured waist. Staggering through the drizzling rain, I found the mountain path treacherous. Every step sent a wave of excruciating pain through my abdomen, and a nauseating chill wracked my body, making me want to vomit.

But I couldn't stop. I didn't dare. Despite the cold rain, sweat poured down my face. Suddenly, I heard a faint sound and paused, leaning on my makeshift crutch. “Steven, are you awake?”

His voice was barely a whisper. I strained to hear him, just managing to make out the words, “Leave… me…”

“You’re really awake! Thank God. You have to… you have to hold on. Don’t fall asleep!” A sudden smile broke across my face, my heart filled with joy, even though carrying him felt like hauling a mountain. I bit my lip so hard it bled, but my eyes were filled with a new resolve. “Gordon has to be… he has to be looking for us. There’ll be warm clothes… an ambulance… You just have to hold on… hold on until you see him, and everything will be okay.”

The crash had carved a wide scar down the mountainside, and I made sure not to stray too far from it.

Steven’s hand was still dripping blood. I couldn’t see his expression, only hear his faint voice. “I said… leave me…”

His voice was so weak it was devoid of any inflection; I could barely discern the words, but I could easily imagine the tone he intended.

The pain in my abdomen had dulled to a persistent numbness, and I was running on pure adrenaline. One of my hands gripped his arm tightly, while the other dug into the wooden stick I used as a staff.

“That’s not fair. Are you… are you the only one who gets to play the hero? Can’t I help you for once?”

I gritted my teeth, dragging him forward. “I’m not leaving you. I’d never run out on you. If it comes to it… we’ll die together!”

Even if Steven hadn't saved me today, I could never have abandoned him. But he had risked his life for me, which made it even more impossible for me to leave him behind.

The man on my back suddenly went silent. A knot of panic tightened in my chest. Had he passed out again, or… I called his name several times, but there was no response. Tears streamed down my face, an uncontrollable fear seizing me. I was so afraid he was dead.

“Steven… can you… can you talk to me, please?”

News of the flash floods and the resulting landslide blanketed the media.

Just half a month after the torrential rains in Ixia had led to a catastrophic bridge collapse, another storm had caused a landslide. A car had plunged down the mountain, triggering a chain-reaction crash that left three people seriously injured and eight with minor injuries.

The same person had been a victim in both natural disasters, yet had survived each time.

Many speculated whether this person—both a jinx and a miracle—was Steven's ex-wife, but no one could confirm it. The two people involved were in the emergency room, their survival uncertain.

The news spread like wildfire, and Horace saw it as soon as it broke. He was about to rush back into the pouring rain.

George immediately stopped him, pleading patiently, “This area is all winding coastal and mountain roads. The locals say they’re dangerous. Mr. Lancaster stayed in that village precisely because he was worried something might happen, otherwise he would have left days ago. He probably wanted to wait for the rain to stop, but it never did, so he got impatient and left. And look, he ran right into a landslide. You should be taking this as a warning, not trying to follow in his footsteps. Do you want to end up in the hospital too?”