Chapter 64
Chloe suddenly stepped in front of Dylan, blocking his view. “Darling, what are you looking at? Don’t look at her. Look at my hands. I get two blisters trying to save you. It hurts so much. Blow on them for me.”
Chloe said, nestling into Dylan’s embrace and holding her hand up to his face, looking pitifully at him, waiting for him to comfort her.
Dylan’s eyes darkened. ‘She just got a couple of blisters and is already acting like she’s in so much pain, trying to play the victim in front of me. Could a woman like this really have saved me back then?‘ he thought.
Dylan didn’t comfort her and silently pushed her away.
“Darling, what’s wrong? You don’t feel bad for me even though I got hurt trying to save you?” Chloe’s tone was full of grievance.
She had intended to look on the verge of tears, but with the rain pouring down, her face was covered in water, making it impossible to tell if she was crying.
Dylan said in a deep voice, “I’m hurt too, and so is Olivia. We’re both worse off than you.”
Chloe’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes became panicked. “Darling, I’m sorry. I saw you looking a bit down and said that on purpose to get your attention, to cheer you up. I can handle pain-”
Dylan replied, “Okay, stop talking and save your energy.”
Chloe bit her lip, watching as Dylan kept staring at Olivia, feeling a mix of anger and frustration.
After piling up about 2 feet of dirt beneath her feet, Olivia stopped and turned to look at Chloe.
“Chloe, come over here and be my stepping stone. I’ll stand on your shoulders, wedge the animal trap into the wall above, climb up, and then pull you guys up,” she said.
This was the most time–efficient method. Digging and piling up dirt took too long and was exhausting.
Olivia was strong, but she wasn’t a machine; she would get tired and eventually run out of strength.
Chloe glanced at the height and said sarcastically, “It’s still so high. How could you possibly get up there? Don’t just show off and pretend to be strong.”
Olivia replied indifferently, “Whether I can get up there or not, I’ll find out once I try. Stop wasting time and come over here.”
Chloe’s face was full of anger. “Why should I listen to you? Who do you think you are to command me? And who do you think you are to use me as your stepping stone?”
Olivia said, “If you can climb up, I’ll be your stepping stone, but can you really get up there?”
“It’s not just me who needs to get up; it’s all three of us. You being my stepping stone isn’t just to save me; it’s also to save you and your darling.” Olivia rolled her eyes.
Dylan felt a pang of discomfort when Olivia referred to him as Chloe’s darling. She used to mock him with that term all the time, but he never took it seriously. Now, it felt grating to his ears.
“I’m your husband,” he said and couldn’t help but correct her.
But either because he was too weak and his voice was too soft for Olivia to hear, or because she simply didn’t want to acknowledge him, she didn’t respond, not even with a glance.
Chloe gritted her teeth. “I absolutely refuse to be stepped on. You can keep digging and piling up dirt; eventually, you’ll reach the top. Why do you have to step on me? You’re clearly doing this on purpose to target me.”
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Chapter 64
Olivia said coldly, “I can find another way up, but if I keep expending my energy, once I get up there and am exhausted, fwon’t care about your live
Dylan offered, “I’ll be your stepping stone.“.
Olivia flatly refused. “You’re so weak that you can’t even sit up straight. You won’t be able to support me. Chloe has to do it. You should persuade her, she listens to you the most.”
Dylan could only turn to Chloe and persuade her. “She’s done so much to save us. If you can help, you should. You’re usually so understanding. I know you don’t want to take advantage of Olivia’s efforts, so go ahead and lend a hand.”
Chloe bit her lip but eventually walked over.
Olivia directed her to sit down, then stepped onto her shoulders. She used the animal trap to dig a hole as high as she could reach, buried most of the trap in it, and then grabbed onto the trap, pulling herself up with a chin–up motion.
Meanwhile, she instructed Chloe to stand up and give her a support point.
The wall was concave, making it impossible for Olivia to step on it. She had to rely on Chloe’s cooperation.
After elevating herself a bit, Olivia grabbed the animal trap with one hand and stretched the other up to grip the edge of the pit.
After a strenuous effort, Olivia finally managed to climb up with difficulty.
She rested for a while, then found several vines, twisted them into a sturdy rope, and threw it into the pit, instructing Chloe to tie Dylan up and hoist him up first, followed by Chloe.
After pulling them both up, Olivia felt somewhat exhausted. She sat down under a tree to rest.
Chloe, however, kept urging her. “Olivia, don’t be lazy. Come on, carry Dylan. There are still rocks falling from the mountain over there. It’s not safe here. We need to move further away quickly.”
Olivia replied indifferently, “I’m tired. I can’t carry him. If you want to leave ‘first, you can carry him yourself.”
Chloe said indignantly, “Stop pretending. You haven’t done anything, and you’re already complaining about being tired. You stepped on me for so long, and I didn’t say a word about being tired. Why are you so delicate?”
Olivia took a deep breath, deciding not to engage with the fool. She needed to conserve her energy; even speaking another word would be a waste of
strength.
“Caught with no response, huh? You’re trying to take advantage of the situation and make demands on Dylan, aren’t you? You’re waiting for Dylan to beg you before you’ll act?” Chloe mocked.
“Darling, don’t fall for her tricks. She’s trying to manipulate you. Just threaten her to come over and carry you within three seconds, or else you won’t help her family pay off their debts,” she added.
Dylan frowned and said, “Stop talking. It wasn’t easy for her to pull both of us adults up. Let her rest for a bit.”
Chloe’s eyes welled up. “Darling, why are you taking her side? She’s just pretending. She used to hit us with so much energy. How could she be out of strength so easily?
“We’re in danger here. One wrong move and we could be buried. I’m worried about you. Why aren’t you on my s
Dylan replied, “Even if I threatened her, she wouldn’t instantly regain her strength. My words aren’t adrenaline; they don’t have that kind of effect.”
Chloe bit her lip, her face full of anger, and her eyes a mix of urgency and fear. She was afraid that the landslide would spread to this area and she would
lose her life.
After resting for about ten minutes, Olivia stood up.
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Chapter 64
Chloe immediately urged her again. “You’ve finally finished pretending. Come on, carry Dylan and let’s go.”
Olivia said, “I can’t carry him. I’ll go find a signal and call for rescue. You stay here with him.” With that, she turned and walked away.
Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re leaving us here? You’re just going to abandon us?”
Dylan was also astonished and felt a pang of disappointment. ‘Olivia is really just leaving me behind?‘ he thought.
AD
