Reclaiming Her Heart

Raymond spoke to Selena, "Selena, I'll carry you."

Selena's ankle was already swollen, and she definitely couldn't walk for a while.

Raymond handed the two bags to Carter and Alex, then squatted down in front of her.

Since it was her boyfriend carrying her, Selena didn't hesitate to lie on his back and wrap her arms around his neck.

Raymond, being tall and strong, stood up effortlessly, even giving a little bounce, though his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Have you lost weight again recently?" he asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he continued walking forward with ease.

Tessa stood behind, watching the backs of Raymond and Selena, and tears started to fall.

She instinctively grabbed Lawrence's arm and sobbed lightly.

Lawrence found Tessa's appearance almost unbearable.

"Stop crying," he said gently.

"Lawrence, am I really that annoying?" Tessa asked, her voice trembling.

Lawrence was momentarily at a loss for words. Raymond, that jerk!

"It's okay, Tessa," he finally said, trying to comfort her. "After the hike, I'll have a good talk with him."

Tessa had been acting since last night, all to get Lawrence's full support. Otherwise, like Richard, Lawrence wouldn't allow her to harass Raymond, who already had a girlfriend, as it was against proper etiquette. But now things were different. Tessa positioned herself as a victim, someone willing to sacrifice her dignity for love, which would evoke their sympathy.

A slight smile curved Tessa's lips, and her gaze towards Selena was nothing short of malicious.

Wind was going to take action tonight. She didn't believe that bitch could escape Wind's wrath!

Selena noticed the gaze from behind but didn't care. Being carried by Raymond through the forest with such good air, she was in a good mood.

The path was challenging, but Raymond had traversed it several times and moved quickly even with her on his back.

Tessa was walking slowly and kept complaining about feeling unwell.

Lawrence wanted to carry Tessa, but Tessa's gaze was fixed on Raymond in the distance, clearly wanting him to come back and carry her.

But Raymond was walking too fast and soon left them behind with Selena on his back.

Without that gaze from behind, Selena finally enjoyed the hike.

"What's this?" Raymond asked.

A cluster of mushrooms had appeared at his feet.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

He had just been looking for an opportunity to talk to Selena, but she immediately recognized the mushrooms.

"Button mushrooms," she said, smiling. "They're edible. We can make soup with them when we camp later. It'll be delicious, definitely better than last night's seafood." "Alright, whatever you say."

He bent down and picked up the mushrooms.

After a while, Selena climbed onto his back, directing him where to find more mushrooms. Raymond let her have her way, wandering through the forest as she gave instructions. They walked for more than two hours before he set her down on a clean rock nearby.

The bag beside them was filled with mushrooms they had picked along the way.

"When I was a kid, I liked picking mushrooms in the mountains," Selena reminisced. "Once, a bug crawled on me, and I cried out of fear. Sometimes, I even stepped on centipedes. My mom was afraid I'd faint from fright, so she carried me. I was very thin back then, but it still took some effort to carry me with one hand. My mom had a basket on her back and had to carry me from time to time."

Selena finished with a smile, checked the mushrooms in the bag to make sure they were all edible, and then lay back on his back.

"Let's go, Raymond," she said.

Raymond, who had been carrying her for so long, was only slightly sweating.

"So you've known about mushrooms since you were a kid?" he asked. "Yes, mushrooms make very fresh soup, much fresher than the ones sold in the city." Surrounded by birdsong, their conversation was soft but had an indescribable beauty.

"Selena, the wine I drank last night was spiked." After hearing many interesting stories about Selena's childhood, Raymond finally said this.

"I felt very dizzy and mistook Tessa for you. But even if you hadn't opened the door, I wouldn't have kissed Tessa," he continued, his voice steady and sincere. Selena's hands were around his neck, and from this angle, she could see his profile, calm and composed.

Selena took a deep breath, processing his words.

"I understand," she said softly, her voice steady but with a hint of emotion. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

They had a small snack halfway through the journey and then saw a white blur flash by-it was Blizzard.

In a forest like this, Blizzard was incredibly happy.

Selena and Raymond drank some water and continued walking.

They walked for almost three hours before stopping at the campsite for the night.

The others who had arrived earlier saw Raymond carrying Selena and were furious.

The women, in particular, were indignant. They hadn't received such treatment and, out of pride, wouldn't let their male companions carry them. Yet Selena had been carried the whole way. She came from such a humble background; how did she deserve it?