"Hick! Lucas, what took you so long to find me? Do you know how scared I was?"

Lucas felt a huge weight lift off his chest when he saw Thalia. He did not want anything to happen to her because of him.

He did not push Thalia away but instead reached out and patted her shoulder.

"There, there. I found you. Everything's okay now."

Melody felt bitter when she saw how affectionately Lucas and Thalia embraced each other. It seemed they did not need her after all.

After comforting Thalia for a while, Lucas finally let her go. "Are you hurt?"

Thalia just said she did not know where she had run off to and then mentioned that her foot was a little sore.

"Your foot? Let me see if you sprained it."

After checking and making sure she was not seriously injured, Lucas led her back. "It might be a slight sprain. We'll have a doctor look at it when we get back."

Melody had already turned off her flashlight when they started heading out. She leaned against a tree, unsure of how to react. Should she stay hidden or make herself known to them?

She felt absurd for running into the forest out of worry for Lucas and Thalia only for her to end up spraining her ankle, while they were being all affectionate with each other.

Moreover, before searching for Thalia, Lucas had harshly scolded her, leaving her very aggrieved.

Thalia whimpered out of pain after taking just a few steps.

Lucas frowned. He had not brought any tools with him when he came in, so he could not examine her. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Lucas, how about you carry me out? I'm afraid the injury on my ankle might worsen if I keep walking like this..."

Thalia appeared somewhat embarrassed, but the shadows in the thicket hid her expression well, so no one could see the gleam in her eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, Lucas squatted, given how she was limping and struggling.

It was rare for Thalia to be that close to him. She could not help but feel excited. Holding her breath, she carefully climbed onto Lucas' back. "It's getting dark. It's not safe to stay here any longer. Let's get out quickly!"

Lucas watched as the forest grew darker and knew they could not linger any longer. Otherwise, both he and Thalia might struggle to get out. 'Melody was still waiting outside, and she'd be scared alone...' He thought.

As they passed a tree, Thalia suddenly murmured, "Lucas, could you go a little faster? My ankle is starting to hurt even more..."

"You're the one who insisted on running into the forest alone, so the pain is a punishment for you. I hope you'll learn your lesson and not run off recklessly next time!" replied Lucas somewhat harshly. It sounded like a scolding, but to Thalia's ears, it felt oddly comforting.

'Aww, Lucas cares about me after all,' she thought. She pretended to casually glance behind the tree. 'Good, Melody had seen us. She even has the self-awareness to turn off the flashlight!'

Thalia wanted Melody to know that she and Lucas were the closest. She wanted her to know that if anything happened, Lucas would choose her first.

Thalia had indeed succeeded. Melody even covered her mouth, afraid to make a sound and be discovered by Lucas hiding behind the tree. It would be too embarrassing if that were to happen. Bitterness crept into Melody's heart, and she wondered who she was to Lucas.

'What does Thalia running off into the forest have to do with me? Why did Lucas have to scold me like that?'

Having sprained her ankle, she did not know how she was going to get out of the forest.

However, she stubbornly refused to make a sound. Even though she knew it was not the time to be stubborn, she had principles she stood by and a dignity to uphold.

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