Love Unspoken

With a sudden splash, Quinn found herself being hauled out of the water. Her lungs were gasping for air, each breath she took was a mixture of gasps and water spewing out. The world around her spun in dizzying circles and she found herself lying on the ground. She struggled to open her eyes, but all she was met with was an engulfing darkness.

An unknown force was pressing down on her chest, causing a salty stream to pour uncontrollably from her mouth. After what seemed like an eternity, a buildup of breath in her chest suddenly surged forth. "Cough " Quinn managed to turn her head, expelling a mouthful of water.

Cool, desperate gulps of air rushed into her beleaguered lungs. At last, she could breathe deeply again."Quinn, are you out of your mind?" A man's voice thundered above her, a tone of fury Quinn had never heard before."Who told you to jump? Who gave you permission? If you wanted to die, why didn't you just say so? I should've taken care of you with a single shot this morning!"

Through the haze, Quinn tried to discern the face of the man above her, but all she could see was the surrounding blackness. Drops of water kept falling onto her face, some seeping into her eyes and mixing with her tears to stream down her cheeks. Guided by instinct, Quinn slowly lifted her hand to touch the man's face. "L-Lu-" she struggled to form the syllables.

Never having spoken before, she couldn't get the rest of the word out, despite laboriously trying, she only managed that single sound. The man was clearly taken aback."What did you say?" Quinn opened her mouth, her breath swirling in her throat, but the sounds that emerged didn't match the movements of her lips and tongue.

After much effort, she forced out two awkward yet simple words. "Brother."The air suddenly grew silent as a cold wind whipped around them, causing the shrubs to rustle noisily. It also swept away all of Alexander's anger. Alexander sat beside her in a daze, staring intently at Quinn.

Though he couldn't see her face, his gaze remained locked on where it should be."You..." Alexander held her hand and with his other touched her cheek, as though to verify this person wasn't Quinn.

Quinn grew tired, her eyelids heavy, unable to stay conscious any longer, she fainted. Kyle Astor had been lying on the edge of the cliff for a long time.

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Once he was sure all was quiet below, he stood up and ordered the people behind him, "Go find them! We must find them no matter what!" The bodyguards behind him nodded and ran off, searching for a way down the mountain. Kyle Astor had planned to settle scores with Walter, but when he hurried back to the farmhouse, he found two bodyguards lying on the ground, their fates uncertain.

Frowning, Kyle Astor burst into the house. The person who should have been bedridden from serious injuries was now nowhere to be seen; the room was empty.Kyle Astor searched several rooms, scouring almost the entire farmhouse, with no sign of Walter.

He stepped back, looking at the deserted spaces. Walter had escaped! But now, Kyle Astor had to find Alexander. He had seen on the ascent that the canyons amidst these mountains were mostly water, like a white serpent winding through the peaks.

It was a good hiding spot. Even if Alexander and Quinn had jumped, they might not have died. The night was unusually long, and Quinn woke up several times, chilled to the bone. Winter's bite was fierce, and even dressed in a down jacket standing in that valley, it wouldn't take half an hour to catch a cold. Quinn spent most of the night in a daze, but as the late hours approached, she finally felt a trace of warmth.She barely managed to open her eyes, only to see the man's chest before her.

Quinn was momentarily stunned, then slowly lifted her head, following the line of the man's chest upward to his jaw, the firm set of his lips, and the flickering light that danced across his face.She turned to see that indeed a fire had been kindled before her; it consisted mainly of fresh branches with only a few dryer pieces, causing it to burn low and produce a considerable amount of smoke. Alexander was tending to the branches, trying to coax the flames to a brighter glow. Quinn attempted to sit up, but the hand on her shoulder pressed her back down. "Stay put," came the directive. Quinn fell silent, looked down once more, and then realized they were both without proper attire, covered only by a thin shirt. Their garments, suspended from branches to form a makeshift screen at her side, were being dried by the fire. This barrier not only shielded them from the wind but also provided a modicum of privacy.