The Ruthless CEO's Revenge Wife
Chapter 40: FALSE HOPE

Chapter 40: FALSE HOPE

"Jean!" he barked, and she flinched, startled by his sudden presence.

Jean turned slowly, sweat on her brow, and for a second... She looked small. Worn out. "I-I was trying to fix it. The strong wind from the storm that night knocked down a bunch of tree branches. I thought if I cleared it fast enough, they’d see it."

Her voice cracked on the last word.

Logan looked at her, breathing heavily. All the anger from last night clashed with the image in front of him... Jean, bruised and breathless, desperately trying to be seen.

"Why didn’t you wake me?" he asked, softer now.

Jean avoided his eyes. "You asked me to leave from your sight. I figured you didn’t want to be bothered."

Logan exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over his face.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. But for now, he moved toward her silently and grabbed one of the branches.

"Let’s fix this," he said.

Jean didn’t stop him. Together, they had to work it out.

They fixed the help signal together, clearing the branches that had collapsed over it. Once the space was cleared and the large SOS letters visible again, Logan dusted off his hands and looked at the sky. It was already starting to darken.

He turned to Jean. "Come on, let’s go. It’s going to be dark soon."

But Jean didn’t move. She didn’t even look at him.

Logan’s brows furrowed. "Come on, Adams."

Still, silence.

He stepped in front of her, more insistent now. "Can you please listen to me for once, Jean? We have to go back to the beach before it gets dark. Why aren’t you coming?"

Jean finally lifted her gaze. "Do me a favor... Logan, forget that I even exist."

Logan stared at her, caught off guard. "What?"

"Trust me," she said, her voice low but firm, "it’ll help with your trauma if you erase all of my existence. It works for me."

Logan’s expression tightened. He took a breath, trying to stay calm. "Look, we can have this talk once we’re back safely. If you stay here, God knows what’ll happen to you."

Jean’s eyes glinted with pain. "And you care?"

He looked away, anywhere but at her face.

"Stop doing things you might regret later," she snapped. "So go away from me!"

Logan shook his head. "So now I’m the bad guy? You always somehow turn this whole thing against me."

"Trust me, Logan, it’s not you who is bad. You and I together... That’s what’s bad. It’s best if you leave me alone on my own," she said.

But before she could even react, Jean let out a startled scream as her world flipped... Logan had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder without warning.

"You talk too much, Adams," he muttered.

"Put me down!" she yelled, pounding her fists against his back.

"Nope. Not happening."

"Logan! Put me down right now!" Jean squirmed, kicking her legs as she thumped his back with her fists. "You can’t just carry me like a damn sack of potatoes!"

Logan kept walking, unfazed. "You’re light for a sack of potatoes."

"Kingsley, I swear...!"

"Don’t bother. We’re going back. You can throw your tantrum later." His voice was calm but stern, leaving no room for argument.

Jean was fuming, "You’re unbelievable. You just love controlling everything, don’t you?"

Logan stopped for a second, adjusting his grip on her. "No. I just don’t like the idea of you getting eaten alive in the dark forest while I try to sleep with a clear conscience."

"I’m serious! This is not funny... put me down right now!"

"Nope. I’m done arguing with you. I tried asking nicely. I even gave you time to breathe. But you? You just love drama." His voice was calm, but his jaw was clenched.

Jean twisted, trying to wiggle free, but Logan only tightened his hold. "Keep squirming and you’re going to fall, and I’ll let you."

She froze.

He felt it too... how she stopped fighting. She was trembling slightly, maybe from exhaustion or maybe from something else.

"Logan," she said quietly, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because as much as you say I disgust you, and as much as I want to hate you back... I still can’t walk away. Not when I know you’ll get hurt."

Jean closed her eyes tightly, burying her face into the fabric of his shirt for a brief second before immediately pulling away again. "You’re such an idiot," she whispered.

"Yeah," he replied, with a bitter smile. "But I’m your idiot for now. So deal with it."

Jean went silent at that. It was hard to argue when even his stubbornness came with a touch of protectiveness.

As they reached the beach again, Logan finally lowered her onto her feet. She staggered a little, brushing her hair from her face and glaring at him.

"If you ever pull something like that again..."

"Yeah, yeah," he waved her off, walking ahead, "you’ll poison my food or bury me alive. Heard it before."

Jean clenched her fists. She wanted to scream, punch something... or maybe just punch him.

But then her eyes fell to the sky. It had darkened completely. The fire pit still had a few glowing embers. She realized how cold it had gotten again.

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them speaking. The flames flickered weakly.

Finally, Logan pulled his coat off and threw it in her lap. "Don’t make a big deal out of it. You looked like you were gonna start shivering again."

Jean looked at the coat, then at him. "I didn’t ask."

"You didn’t have to."

She didn’t say thank you. But she did drape the coat over herself.

After a long silence, Logan mumbled, "You were wrong, by the way."

Jean blinked. "About what?"

"I don’t regret jumping after you in the ocean." He didn’t look at her as he said it. "I regret everything else that came after."

That shut her up. The flames crackled softly between them, warming the air. But the storm between them still lingered, waiting for the next wave.