Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

The seawater seeped in gradually, and the wait underwater felt endless. Surprisingly, my lung capacity allowed me to hold my breath underwater for two whole minutes. It was evident that Sofia had decent physical fitness before.

However, the hull was rocking violently due to the waves, slowing down the water inflow and increasing the pressure on the bed. I swam desperately to the surface for air and then went down to give Dexter a breath.

It was a life-and-death situation. As I was helping him breathe, he still had the nerve to kiss me. He truly knew how to seize the moment with me.

I stared at him, feeling helpless. There were other options at that moment. Beating him was impossible at this point.

I came up for air, took a breath, and dove back down. Dexter remained surprisingly calm in the water as if nothing had occurred.

Three minutes had gone by. Most people couldn’t hold their breath for such a long time. But I had overlooked the fact that he wasn’t an ordinary person.

"Sophia! Dexter!" Their shouts could be heard above the roar of the storm and the crashing waves against the cruise ship. I knew that everyone was still alive, giving us the motivation to hold on.

Moreover, Ashton and Xandra were still up there. Under the water, I held Dexter close, silently encouraging him to hang on. He hugged me back. We were simply waiting for the perfect moment. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

With a violent jolt, the cabin shook nearly 90 degrees. The heavy object pinning Dexter’s leg finally gave way under the force of buoyancy and shaking. Seizing the opportunity, Dexter freed his leg, held me close, and kissed me passionately. When I was almost out of breath in the water, he carried me up to the surface. We gasped for air in the gap. I looked at him helplessly and reproachfully. Perhaps it was the relief of having survived a disaster. I couldn’t truly hold it against him.

He held me in his arms and whispered, "Sophia, we’re safe."

"Huh?" He seemed very determined that we would not die.

"Listen." The faint sound of rescue ship sirens echoed through the waves, signaling their arrival. The Huma police must have coordinated with a peacekeeping force that was having a rescue operation in a neighboring country.

I heaved a sigh of relief, and an overwhelming sense of surprise coursed through my entire being. I gazed at Dexter with profound emotion, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I was absolutely terrified just a moment ago." I choked up.

"He fooled you. The longest time he’s able to hold his breath underwater is 16 minutes, and that’s without much professional training." Joel tied a lifebuoy to a rope and threw it down from above.

I stared at Dexter in utter disbelief. The Guinness World Record for holding one’s breath underwater was 20 minutes. Dexter could hold his breath for an impressive 16 minutes. No wonder he seemed so comfortable taking advantage of me underwater just now.

"Explain it to me," I said, placing the lifebuoy on his head in annoyance.

Dexter started to act pitifully. "Sophia, my leg hurts so much."

My heart ached as I touched his body and dove under the water, desperate to check his leg. However, he

held me in his arms with malicious intent, even accusing me of molesting him.

"Sophia, you took advantage of the situation and touched me."

I was filled with anger and amusement. At that moment, I embraced him tightly. Only then did I truly experience the overwhelming sensation of shedding tears of joy.

Tears flowed uncontrollably down my face as I cried out loud. The sound of the waves drowned out my cries. However, that moment that Dexter and I shared seemed bound together for eternity.

It felt as if Dexter’s and my souls were tightly embracing each other.

Climbing onto the deck, we waited anxiously for rescue. However, when the rescue ship finally arrived, Genome Society’s ship had not left. Instead, they actually drew closer.

"We’re here to save you! Hurry and come aboard quickly." Their team quickly disguised themselves as humanitarian aid workers and commenced the rescue operation for the survivors aboard the cruise ship.

On the deck next to ours, I spotted a familiar woman. She was Lois, Damien’s mother. She was wearing a raincoat and standing on the deck, the sea breeze blowing her hair. She looked unfamiliar and scary.

She stood there as she watched Damien participating in the rescue with a serious look in his eyes. Maybe she didn’t expect him to be so vulnerable and felt that he was not worthy of her lifetime plans and efforts. "Damien, save me!" Juliet’s desperate cries reverberated through the waves.

She had been hiding in the room. She wore a life jacket and was holding onto the balcony railing tightly, which saved her life. Her instincts to survive danger had always been very strong.

I looked at Juliet in the seawater and realized that she wasn’t meant to die. It was such a pity that she knew too much. Even if Damien and I wanted to save her, Genome Society wouldn’t allow it.

A gunshot pierced the air. Dexter, Damien, and I were shocked as we witnessed Lois shoot Juliet. "Damien..." The bright red blood was spreading, and her life jacket was deflating. She looked down in shock and fear at the blood slowly spreading around her body. In her final moments of terror, she called out Damien’s name.

"Juliet!" Damien reached out to grab her hand.

Juliet reached out desperately to grab him too. Damien’s hand was injured. Coming into contact with her could potentially infect him with HIV.

With no access to emergency antiretroviral drugs in the harsh conditions at sea, they were facing a race against time. Within the crucial 72-hour window, reaching shore and obtaining the necessary medication seemed increasingly unlikely.

I instinctively tried to stop Damien, but then I decided not to interfere. Nobody could alter someone else’s destiny.

Juliet cried and reached out to hold Damien’s hand. She was such a selfish person that she definitely would not care about Damien’s well-being. She was desperate for a final sense of security. However, ultimately, this selfish person chose to retract her hand.

The blood had already entered her lungs. She spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at Damien with a pale face. "Damien... don’t... come over here."

She was gesturing to Damien not to come near her blood. Everyone had gotten injured to different extents, and her blood was a source of contamination.

Her final gaze at me was filled with reluctance, jealousy, and sadness. I couldn’t help but wonder if she felt regret before she passed. Perhaps not. After all, conscience was inherent. It either existed or never did.

She released her grip gradually, allowing her body to submerge into the depths of the sea. Damien knelt in the boat, his eyes filled with sorrow as he glared at Lois. She responded with indifference, choosing not to speak and offer any explanation.

"Everyone, hurry up and board if you want to survive." The Genome Society members were still striving to persuade everyone to go on board.

The rescuers arrived from a rescue ship to save us. I gazed at Lois, and we couldn’t look away from each other for a while.

Finally, she said first, "Sophia, I now kind of believe that you’re Sophia."

I stared at her, feeling angry and sad. I wondered why she did that, but I couldn’t ask the question.