Albina closed her eyes tightly and gasped loudly. Running too fast, her throat up to her lungs was on fire. Because she was too hungry, her stomach ached.
Umberto turned his head to look at Ruben:
-Did you bring food and water?
-Yes,” Ruben answered and hurried to bring out food.
Olivia pursed her lips and came over with the bread and water, placing them in Albina’s arms:
-Here, eat a mouthful of bread first to fill your stomach. The fruit you have in your pocket is too sour.
Albina opened her eyes in Umberto’s arms and looked at Olivia for a moment before saying:
-Thank you.
Olivia turned her head away, not daring to look at her, and turned around to grab some food for Umberto as well.
Just as she was about to go with the bread, she saw Albina open the water and give it to Umberto first:
-Drink some water. You must be very thirsty.
Umberto smiled and took a sip, only then Albina drank it herself, whispering:
-I tasted a green plum when I was picking the fruit. It was so sour, acidic and astringent, I couldn’t swallow it at all.
But when they were in the cave, Umberto had even eaten several of them to comfort her.
Umberto took the wet handkerchief Ruben handed him and carefully wiped Albina’s cheeks and fingers, smiling:
-Sour? I feel quite sweet.
What Albina had tried so hard to pick up was sweet in his case.
Albina watched him wipe her fingers carefully, and felt more content in her heart.
They both broke that bread and finished it before their stomachs felt better.
-Let’s go back, Sergio is still waiting up there.
Olivia reminded them when she saw that they had recovered.
Umberto put his arms around Albina and nodded:
-All right.
Sergio waited up there, not saying a word while no one dared to speak. The old man waited up there, without saying a word, and no one dared to speak.
Silence fell around him, and all that could be heard was the sound of the wind blowing the leaves.
At that moment a clamor was heard from the edge of the cliff. Sergio hurried to ask Alonso to help him up:
-Umberto and Albina are back, yes?
Alonso could hear Olivia laughing and talking, then he answered:
-Yes, they are both back safe and sound.
The atmosphere suddenly became livelier.
Sergio was supported by Alonso and when he saw Umberto and Albina, he rushed over to check on them and muttered:
-Fortunately, they have all returned safe and sound.
He looked calm, but in fact he was very nervous. Umberto was the only grandson of the Santangel family, and Albina was also a young woman he loved very much. He was very afraid that something would happen to both of them.
Sergio’s eyes were slightly reddened and his lips kept trembling as he repeated these words for a long time.
Umberto and Albina held his arm. They both smiled, comfortingly:
-Grandfather, we are back.
Sergio looked at them carefully, and finally fixed his gaze on the wound on Umberto’s forehead:
-Did Jaime and Yolanda do this?
Umberto nodded:
-Yes, they had just come down to look for us and we were almost discovered.
-And they were carrying guns, in order to kill us,” said Albina as she took out her tape recorder.
The sound turned out to be the conversation between Yolanda and Jaime at the entrance of the cavern.
Umberto looked at her in surprise:
-When did you record it?
Albina looked at him and said embarrassed:
-I was too nervous and touched the recorder I had in my pocket.
In principle, this time she went out to look for her uncle to see what was wrong with them, and she also wanted to get some words out of them, so she had prepared the recorder beforehand.
Unexpectedly, it was not useful there, but it was useful here.
Sergio patted him on the arm and laughed:
-Great! Now we have enough evidence.
-Enough evidence? -Umberto and Albina looked at Sergio at the same time.
Sergio explained:
-We just found Jaime’s car nearby and have taken the license plate number and a photo of them driving away. With the photos and the footage, I’m afraid they can’t deny it.
Olivia and Daniel happened to approach, and when they heard what Jaime and Yolanda had done, their cheeks turned red with anger.
Especially Olivia, who liked Yolanda and praised her as a good girl.
So these words felt like a slap, hitting her cheek, and it hurt like hell.
-Damn it! Yolanda, Jaime, I want revenge!
Olivia said with hatred as she clenched her fist.
The old man looked at her.
-This time I will personally intervene and settle this matter for the two boys.
Olivia looked at him excitedly.
It had been a long time since he had intervened, and this time the two families would definitely not end well.
Sergio was much more restrained now, but in his youth he was much stronger than Alfredo Seco.
Umberto ducked his head and did not speak. His handsome, pale face showed no expression. He looked indifferent and terrified.
Noticing his mood, Albina tugged his sleeve and asked him in a low voice:
-What are you thinking about?
Umberto wrapped his hand completely in hers.
“I’m thinking about how to kill those two brutes!”
The wound on Umberto’s head looked horrible, with a large cloud of shadowy blood. And there was still an ankle wound.
They dared not delay and transported both of them directly to the hospital.
Their entire bodies were examined and all wounds were attended to.
After examination, Albina was still in relatively good condition, except for some scratches and abrasions on the skin, there were no other injuries. She was, at best, in a state of shock.
Umberto’s condition, however, was much more serious, with a deep cut on his forehead, a slight concussion, a metallic cut on his ankle and strenuous exercise, which had torn the healing wound and had begun to swell.
As the doctor bandaged it, Olivia watched:
-Why are there so many wounds on the leg?
Although the wounds on her legs were all abrasions, just broken skin, they were already red and swollen because they had not been treated in time, and they looked even more terrible than the wounds on her forehead and ankle.
Albina, who was sitting next to them being medicated by the doctor, turned guiltily at these words and met Umberto’s smiling eyes.
He winked at her and turned to Olivia, saying:
-This is so they won’t find out, when hiding in the crack of the cavern, I accidentally brushed against the stone.
Once these words came out, Olivia’s anger rose even higher:
-I must tell Sergio about this too! Doctor, write the injury report, more seriously. We must get justice for you tomorrow.
Albina really admired Umberto who transferred his hatred to Jaime’s side.
When Umberto was almost finished, Olivia turned to Albina and asked her:
-Does your wound hurt?
Albina didn’t expect Olivia to come over and talk to her, so she froze for a few seconds.
-Does it hurt? -Olivia repeated.
Only then Albina reacted and whispered:
-No, it doesn’t hurt.
Her wounds were much lighter than Umberto’s, so she was in no condition to cry out in pain.
-How can it not hurt? -Olivia turned to the doctor who was applying the medicine to Albina and said, “Doctor, be more gentle. The girl is afraid of pain.
The doctor smiled and nodded, and Albina was stunned.
She was very pleased and surprised by Olivia’s behavior.