Chapter 574: Rescue

Manuel turned to leave.

"Manuel!" Martina screamed. She hadn't expected this, but his effortless departure broke her.

"Take care," Manuel said, continuing his walk. It was his final expression of sympathy.

Martina watched him jump from the ship, agony twisting her. Tears blurred her vision. Why would he do this? Couldn't he feel her love?

She approached the ship's edge, step by step. The thought of solitude was terrifying. From the deck, she watched him swim powerfully toward the shore.

"It's useless! Manuel, you won't save Susan," she thought.

A complacent smile touched her lips. At least, she would have killed Susan, even at the cost of her own life and everything else. Now, there was no reason to keep Susan alive. She would wait for Susan—and perhaps Manuel—in the afterlife.

With this thought, Martina climbed the railing, her gaze fixed on the man in the sea. Wild laughter escaped her. Even in death, she had gained much. It was worth it.

A splash. A figure plunged into the sea.

Manuel, swimming toward the shore, glanced back at the ship. He saw the splash, but the waves quickly erased all trace.

"Someone overboard! Someone overboard!" screams erupted from the ship. The passengers, numb to the life and death of others, briefly discussed the event before falling silent again.

Manuel swallowed, but continued swimming. He had anticipated Martina's suicide, but it wasn't his responsibility. It was her choice. He had given her many opportunities to live, and he had done his best.

He reached the warehouse, pushing open the gate. Susan huddled on the floor, frightened and disoriented. Earplugs muffled all sound, isolating her from the world.

Relief flooded him at the sight of her. He had feared finding a corpse. She was alive, though terrified.

His feelings shifted subtly. Had he misunderstood Martina? Had he judged her too harshly?

A wave of sadness washed over him, bringing back the desperation on Martina's face as she jumped.

Composing himself, Manuel approached Susan. He squatted, but she trembled violently at his touch.

"Mm-mm..." Susan tried to speak.

Manuel began to remove the cloth from her mouth, but froze. A time bomb was strapped to her ankle.

For a second, he doubted his judgment of Martina.

Manuel's fists clenched, his face contorted. Susan writhed in fear.

He calmed himself, checking the bomb. Five minutes remained. Failure meant Susan would be obliterated.

Martina was cruel. Perhaps she'd expected Manuel to recant, hence the bomb. It was a trap: either he abandoned Susan, or they both died. Until her last moment, she sought to prove the depth of Manuel's love for Susan.

He sweated profusely, his trembling fingers checking the bomb, trying to identify the type and locate the wires.

Susan, terrified, struggled to make a sound. She didn't know her captor, only sensing someone near her ankle. She remembered someone tying something heavy to her, but it hadn't hurt. She hadn't dared to consider the worst.

The clock ticked.

Manuel found two wires: red and blue. Cutting one would stop the timer. Gritting his teeth, he produced a Swiss Army knife. Normally it was the blue wire, but people often defied expectations. It was a fifty-fifty chance; a wrong choice meant certain death.

Panic gnawed at him. He looked at Susan, her face deathly pale.

He considered removing her blindfold, letting her see his face. He reached out, then froze. Life and death hung in the balance. Did he want Susan to remember him, or forget?

Suddenly, Susan stopped trembling. A moment before consumed by fear, she now felt an inexplicable calm.

She sensed a deep gaze, a familiar scent, a feeling of knowing. Though uncertain, she believed it was Manuel.

"Mm-mm, mm-hmm..." Susan tried again to speak. She longed to call out his name. Desperation brought tears, trickling down her cheeks under the blindfold.

Manuel gently touched her cheek. The contact triggered a surge of emotion within her.