My One-month Marriage With Mr. Hawkins

Chapter 539: Free At Last

After Florence was saved, Stanford was certain that he wouldn’t let go of Ernest.

He knew the priorities of the matters. Besides, the fastest way to locate Florence was through the information that Ernest would receive from the Turner family.

They must cooperate this time.

Stanford answered solemnly, “Okay. It’s the most important to rescue Florence now. I’ll get even with you afterward.”

Ernest and Stanford made a deal.

On the surface, Stanford had locked up Ernest in his dungeon. Secretly, they started taking action upon their plans respectively and got prepared. As soon as Benjamin carried out his next step, he would fall into their trap.

...

On the sea.

At the horizon where the sea met the sky, there was a touch of fish-belly white. It gradually brightened up.

On the deck of the yacht, Florence was still in a half-kneeling position. Lowering her stiff head, she was working hard to cut the rope.

It was far more difficult to cut the rope than she had imagined.

She couldn’t tell what kind of material the rope was made of. It looked like a rope but it was like steel that was hard to get broken.

If it was too hard to be cut, Florence would have given up long ago, but after she tried harder for a long time, the rope was broken somehow.

Hence, she believed that if she kept on cutting it, the rope would be broken eventually.

All she needed was time.

Clarence was quite sleepy. He couldn’t help nodding his head. Suddenly, his head was bent down, waking him up from the sleepiness.

He opened his eyes in a daze, only to find Florence’s head lowered in front of him.

She maintained the same posture as he dozed off without any change.

Looking up at the sky, Clarence found that it was getting bright soon.

Suddenly, he sobered up. With a frown, he said, “Flory, stop it.”

“It’s almost broken.”

Since she hadn’t slept for a whole night, her voice was quite hoarse.

She didn’t raise her head and kept cutting the rope. Her writs were so painful that she even felt numb, but she still gritted her teeth and held on.

Under her hands, the rope that she had been grinding all night was broken more than half. There was a thin layer left. It was about to break soon.

She guessed that probably she could cut off the rope before it was bright completely.

In that case, before those people woke up, they had a chance to escape.

Clarence stared at Florence with concerns, feeling quite sorry for her.

If it weren’t for him, Florence wouldn’t be threatened by Benjamin. If it weren’t for him, Florence wouldn’t be here cutting for a whole night. He wondered how much pain she had in her hands now.

Clarence was guilty and annoyed. He was too incapable that he needed a girl to take care of him.

“Flory, you didn’t abandon me in such a difficulty. If we can escape this time, I must repay you.”

Florence felt that her hands were weakened, her eyes were painful, and her whole body stiff. She felt quite uncomfortable.

Almost all her strength was drained. She could paralyze on the deck at any time. However, she insisted on holding on.

She felt quite thirsty. In a hoarse voice, she wanted to tell him that it was her fault to put him into trouble and she owned him a favor. However, before she spoke, she was frightened by Clarence’s words.

“I have nothing valuable, but I’m an outstanding man. How about I’ll marry you for repaying you?”

As soon as Florence heard his words, her hands shook. She almost cut herself.

Her mouth corners twitched. Clarence wanted to marry her for repaying her, didn’t he?

She wondered if he was in the right state of mind.

Anyway, if he was serious, she didn’t dare to agree.

Florence pressed her lips and stopped cutting, looking up at Clarence seriously.

“Are you serious?”

Clarence looked down and met her eyes.

Her eyes were pretty, clear, and bright. Right now, they were reddened as she had been staying up the whole night and quite exhausted. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Her face looked pale and haggard.

Clarence was taken aback. He felt as if his heart was bumped by something. He pitied her a lot.

For some reason, he answered, “Yes, I meant it.”

After finishing his words, he was startled.

Just now, when he suggested marrying her, he was kidding. However, when he answered to confirm, he seemed to say it wholeheartedly.

If possible, he wouldn’t mind marrying Florence to appreciate her help.

Florence gazed at Clarence with a solemn look.

Her eyes twinkled. With a frown, she stopped cutting and took a few steps back.

She said, stressing each syllable, “I won’t save you, then.”

Clarence gaped.

He couldn’t believe that she chose not to save him because she wasn’t willing to marry him.

It seemed that she disdained to marry him a lot.

Upon realizing that, Clarence felt a heavy blow on his heart -- his heart is broken.

In depression, he asked, “Are you serious?”

She could almost cut it off. It shouldn’t be proper if she decided to stop now.

Florence, however, looked quite determined.

She had been squatting down for a long time. Both her legs were stiffened and weakened. Holding the pillar, she gradually stood up bit by bit.

She moved stiffly because the circulation of the blood wasn’t smooth. However, she was quite decisive when taking steps back.

Her action told Clarence that she would stop saving him truly.

Clarence gaped at her and couldn’t stop cursing inwardly.

He was just kidding, but Florence really had given up on saving him.

He couldn’t see any of her determination that she wanted to save him so desperately last night.

He wondered if his suggestion was so horrible for her.

He kept asking himself inwardly if he was not handsome, rich, or capable enough.

Clarence was so depressed that he wanted to puke blood. The meandering mind risen in his heart was ruined completely.

He realized that Florence and he couldn’t get along for sure.

They wouldn’t become a match.

Florence moved awkwardly. After walking for a while, she finally released the stiffness in her body.

Then, picking up the water beside her, she started to gulp down.

She had been cutting the rope for a whole night. She worked so hard that she didn’t drink a drop of water. Now, she finally relaxed, so she had to get the water supply hurriedly.

Clarence looked at her in a daze, doubting if his three outlooks remained properly.

He wondered why Florence suddenly had changed. He was so off-guard.

After a moment of silence, seeing that Florence had finished drinking the water, Clarence gritted his teeth and compromised.

“Flory, I suddenly thought it over. We’re just friends. I won’t marry you. It’s getting bright soon. Come on. Help me cut the rope. Then we can run away.”

The freedom awaited him ahead, so Clarence decisively gave up his dignity.

Florence shook her head. “I’ve told you I’ll stop saving you. Otherwise, you’ll pester me.”

Clarence was speechless.

Florence pointed at the rope on Clarence again.

“Save yourself.”

Clarence wondered how.

In confusion, he followed in the direction where she was pointing at. Then he surprisingly found that his rope was almost broken at the cut that Florence had worked on. It was hardly connected.

As long as he pulled the rope at random, the rope would be broken.

Clarence’s mouth corners twitched. It wasn’t until then did he realize that Florence suddenly stopped cutting because she had almost cut off the rope.

But she didn’t tell him just now. It turned out that she was teasing him.

“Florence, you’ve become a wicked girl!” Clarence commented on her behavior unhappily.

Delightfully, he broke free from the rope forcibly. Then he grabbed it off from his body.

He was free at last!