In the distance, he saw Sophia's petite figure struggling to move along the shore. Her height was not short, and her body was healthy and full of vitality, but in the face of nature's power, even standing next to the wooden boat, she looked as tiny as a dot of ink, as if she could be swallowed at any moment.
The wind and rain were stronger than they had been in the morning. Waves as tall as a person slammed into the rocky shallows, and the tide had already risen past Sophia's knees. She was dragging the boat with all her strength, trying to pull it onto the shore, but her strength was limited. One wave after another came crashing, and the boat was filled with seawater, making it even harder for her to pull it in.
"Sophia! Let go, I'll help you!"
Cronus ran over and tossed her the umbrella and raincoat. "Put this on, don't get soaked. Go back to the house!"
Sophia shook her head. Her hair was wet, and the bangs stuck to her smooth forehead. Her eyelashes were heavy with rain, and she wiped her face, refusing. "I'm fine! Cronus, help me drag the boat further onto the shore!"
With waves like this, it wouldn't be long before the small boat would be torn apart!
This was one of the few mementos left to Capone by his father, and it held special meaning for him. She didn't want him to have any regrets.
Cronus couldn't persuade her and joined her in dragging the boat back. The boat was anchored to the shore, but with this kind of storm, the force of the waves could easily dislodge the anchor, and the boat would be smashed into pieces and disappear into the sea.
The boat was already filled with seawater, and even with both Cronus and Sophia working together, they could only pull it with great difficulty. After a while, Cronus managed to get the boat a little farther from the waves, and began scooping out the water, hoping to save time and energy, to get the boat to a safer area as quickly as possible.
"Wait!" Sophia suddenly called out to him, reaching for a flash of purple-red caught in the wood cracks of the boat.
The wind and rain were too heavy, and both of them were soaked through, with their faces drenched. Cronus couldn't see what it was, so he asked, "Sophia, what are you doing?"
Sophia tried a few times but couldn't reach it, so she stepped into the boat, standing in the murky water. She looked up at Cronus and said, "I'll handle this. You go ask Lucy for a tarpaulin to cover the boat. I've seen Capone use one, Lucy should know where it is!"
"No, I can't leave you alone here! Come back with me, I'll come back to drag the boat later. Don't worry about it!"
Sophia pushed him. "Don't worry, I'm fine! You just recovered from illness, you can't get soaked or caught in the wind. Go back and get someone to help me! Hurry!"
Cronus couldn't argue with her. "Be careful, I'll be back soon!"
Sophia nodded, and after seeing him run off, she squatted down again, trying to pry the object out of the wooden crack.
What was caught there was the shell bracelet that Capone had bought for her at the night market. She had always loved wearing it on her wrist, but it had disappeared the day they returned from the boat ride. She thought it had fallen on the road or in the yard, but no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find it. She never imagined it was caught in the crack of the boat.
She happily picked up the bracelet and realized that the clasp had broken, which explained why she hadn't noticed it falling off.
She didn't have any pockets in her clothes, so she could only grip the bracelet in her palm.
Without Cronus, she couldn't move the boat on her own, so she thought about fixing the anchor again, which would make the boat more stable.
What Capone saw through the binoculars from the speedboat was this scene: Sophia and Cronus standing by his boat, discussing something. Then Cronus went into the house, probably to get something, while Sophia was fiddling with something in the boat. She quickly ran out to adjust the anchor. Once the anchor was raised, the boat would be free and could be used as a transport tool on the sea.
"Boss, isn't that the Diaz girl?" Joey, standing behind Capone, clearly noticed Sophia. "What's she doing out there in this storm? Isn't that the boat Stephen gave you? Could she be planning to leave Mesha Island now?"
Capone clenched his lips, remaining silent. His chest was filled with anger.
He had only been gone for half a day, and this woman was already thinking of escaping his control! She was trying to help Cronus leave using the method he had just taught her!
"Could she really be trying to run? Just because you're getting engaged today? But…"
"Joey, stop talking nonsense and make a call to Winter to find out what's going on!" Terry stepped in just in time to stop Joey from fueling the fire.
"I already called, but there's no signal! The wireless station on the island must be broken again, right?"
"I told you to go, so go. Stop wasting time with all this chatter!" Terry struck a pose as if he were the boss and kicked Joey lightly.
The speedboat finally reached the shore, and Capone couldn't wait for it to stop. He jumped off in a few steps and headed straight for where Sophia was.
The wind and rain had intensified, and the waves were crashing in relentless succession, the deafening sound of them slamming against the land and the rocky reefs. The spray scattered everywhere, and there was not a dry spot left on Sophia.
It was just the beginning of summer, and Mesha was already starting to feel stuffy. But standing in the wind and rain, Sophia felt cold. The wet clothes clung to her skin, and when the wind blew, it felt like cold air was seeping into her bones.
Why hadn't Cronus arrived yet? Where was he?
"Sophia Diaz! What the hell are you doing here?"
Instead of Cronus, Capone appeared in front of her with a grim expression on his face.
Sophia almost thought it was a hallucination—was it because she was so preoccupied with him that she saw his mirage in this storm?
"How did you… how did you come back so quickly?"
"Surprised, aren't you?" Capone's smile was twisted with malice and rage. "If I had returned any later, you would have been able to escape with Cronus on this boat, wouldn't you? You were so close to succeeding. It's a shame, isn't it?"
Sophia instinctively shook her head, not understanding what he was talking about.
"Speak! Damn it, speak to me! You can laugh and talk with others, but when you see me, you put on a long face. Are you that cheap?!"
His cruel words were like a sharp blade stabbing into Sophia's chest, the searing pain coursing through her body like an electric shock.
"Capone! What right do you have to say anything to me?! You're someone else's husband! Where I go, what I do, is none of your business! Yes, I want to run away! Let me go! Let me go home!"
Sophia finally snapped, unable to hold back any longer. Her face was wet, and she couldn't tell whether it was tears or rain.
Capone grabbed her hand, his grip tight. "I thought you had some self-awareness, that's why you climbed into my bed so eagerly last night! You sleep with me while looking for every opportunity to escape with another man. What the hell does that mean? You want to run in this storm? Do you know you'll die? The more I'm good to you, the more you act like a drama queen. Do you want me to break your arms and legs and tie you to my side? What do you want, huh? Tell me!"
"Yes, I'm being dramatic, I deserve to die! Either kill me or let me go, I don't care! Anything is better than staying by your side! I'd rather die than be with another woman's husband. Even if I drown in the sea, I won't be your mistress—just thinking about it makes me sick!"
With a loud slap, before Capone and Sophia Diaz could react, Capone's hand had already landed on her cheek.
Sophia lost her balance and fell, her forehead hitting the side of the boat with a dull thud.
Unfortunately, the sound of the wind and waves was too loud, and Capone didn't hear it. Standing at the front of the boat, he couldn't see Sophia lying on the side, as the boat's body blocked his view.
"Sophia Diaz, you… have… no… heart!"
He gritted his teeth, saying each word slowly, his chest feeling as if it might split open from the pain.
The hand he had withdrawn still throbbed with pain. He shouldn't have slapped her. The moment his hand hit her, he knew that no matter how angry he was, he shouldn't have struck her. He couldn't face it, so he clenched his hand at his side and quickly turned away, walking off.
She would get up. Even though she would be as tearful as a weeping willow, her eyes swollen from crying, she would still get up on her own.
And then, when she found out what had happened at the engagement banquet today, she would know where she was wrong and would come apologize for the things she had said.
But he didn't realize the unusual silence behind him. All he could hear was the overwhelming sound of wind and waves.