Chapter 1876 Hardship

Chapter 1876 HardshipAs Elisa moved away, the crowd buzzed with discussions.
"Did that stranger woman just give Anna a reality check?"
"Seems like it, right?"
"Man, I was so worried for a moment there. I thought Anna might give her a beating. But... this time, the
village chief might not let them off the hook."
"Who knows? Let's hope things don't escalate."
...
Elisa paid no attention to the aftershocks of her words on Anna or the chatter. She walked along with
Gareth back to the cottage.
On the way, Gareth leaned onto Elisa, playing up his injuries. Elisa felt a bit strained having a guy who
stood well over six feet tall leaning on her, despite his gentle attempt.
Elisa couldn't help but tease, "Really? It's just your hand, not your legs."
Gareth stayed quiet, gesturing that his injuries were more serious.
Elisa let it go, continuing to support him.
Unbeknownst to Elisa, Gareth wore a satisfied grin. In reality, Elisa knew that Gareth's actions were acalculated move.
Gareth was well aware that Elisa had caught onto his little ruse.
novelbinStill, it was a fact that he had taken a hit while trying to protect her. Recognizing this, Elisa opted not to
rehash the issue and continued to lend her support as they walked.
Her attention shifted to Anna. Gareth's expression tightened, his tone growing rigid as if he was
revisiting an unpleasant memory.
Elisa's curiosity got the best of her, prompting her to barrage him with questions.
Gareth raised an eyebrow and joked, "Getting a bit green-eyed, Mrs. Wickam?"
Elisa rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed. "Seriously? You can't honestly believe the act I put on for Anna,
right? We both know it was just a front, alright! If you don't want to spill the beans, that's fine, but don't
try to veer off with flimsy distractions."
In this exchange, Gareth clearly found himself at a disadvantage. He didn't want Elisa to misconstrue
his relationship with Anna. So, even if Elisa hadn't probed, he would explain to her anyway.
"After Mrs. Kella saved us and I regained consciousness, I discovered this island is isolated. The
people here don't go to school; they only learn how to fish and climb trees to pick coconuts. I helped
Mrs. Kella with whatever I could. One day, while I was fishing, I met Anna."
He left out the rest of the story: Anna attempted to kidnap him forcibly and coerce him into being her
husband. How crazy was that?
Elisa nodded and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"But seriously, do you also happen to have a thing for Anna? I mean, she's got an exotic look, and
she's pretty. If you win her over, she can help us get out of here."
Elisa chuckled at her words and added, "Oh, wait, never mind, you probably wouldn't be able to leave."
Gareth knew she was joking but couldn't help rolling his eyes in response. "You think handing me over
to Anna would solve all our problems?"
Arching an eyebrow, Elisa persisted, "Then what else can we do?"
Gareth sighed and began explaining what he had gleaned about their predicament.
"As I mentioned, this place is cut off from the outside world. There are ships, sure, but only one
compass, which the village chief keeps. They call that compass the 'direction mobile' and treasure it
like gold. Giving it away wouldn't be in the cards. Plus, that small boat isn't a safe bet at all. We've got
no clue how long we'd be floating out there, and once the waves hit..."
He trailed off without completing the sentence.
Elisa grasped the immense challenge of finding a way back home.