Sandy nodded, "I've made up my mind. We'll go public when we choose a time. After that, we'll get engaged and married. I want everyone to know you're mine."
Brandon indulgently replied, "Okay."
...
Viteto, the mountainous region.
After Zane parked the car, he immediately looked down at Yanis lying in his arms and softly called out, "Yanis?"
Yanis murmured, "Have we arrived?"
"We've reached the town. Should we stay down here tonight and head up the mountain tomorrow morning?"
Yanis slowly sat up and glanced outside the car window, "No need. Let's go up with Mitch and the others."
Seeing Yanis's response, Zane didn't say anything more and instructed the driver to drive directly up the mountain.
It rained heavily at night.
The rain fell incessantly outside throughout the night.
Yanis couldn't sleep well all night.
Her dreams were bizarre and varied.
At times, she dreamed of running desperately through the mountain town with a bulging belly, chased relentlessly by Nealon's men.
Other times, she dreamed of Wang Qiong asking her to terminate the pregnancy.
Eventually, the unpleasant images that she didn't want to think about too much began to haunt her dreams repeatedly.
She was startled awake, and the rain outside hadn't stopped.
Yanis stared at the window for a while before turning to lean closer to Zane.
In the moment she leaned closer, Zane naturally extended his hand to embrace Yanis.
"Zane."
Zane softly responded, "Is something wrong?"
Yanis snuggled against Zane, "No, I just woke up suddenly."
Zane held her tighter, "Did you have a nightmare?"
Yanis didn't expect Zane to guess it, but she didn't deny it and murmured in agreement.
"I've been here with you all along, don't be afraid."
Yanis replied softly, "Let's go back to sleep."
The next morning, when Yanis woke up, Zane was no longer by her side.
Just as she was about to get up, someone pushed open the door.
"Yanis, are you awake?" Reed entered from outside the door. "I wanted to see if you were awake."
Yanis looked at Reed, "Didn't you go to the cemetery?"
"My brother, Taylor Payne, and Mr. Lawrence went there. We can only go on the day of the burial."
Reed walked up to Yanis as he spoke, "Mr. Lawrence said you weren't feeling well. Am I better now?"
Yanis nodded, "I'm fine now. How about Mia and the others?"
"They went to the village to spread the news and also to find the village elder to arrange a burial time."
Yanis sat up, "Are Mia and the others capable? Why didn't you go with them?"
Reed whispered, "I've reached adulthood, and according to the village customs, I can't go find the elder. So I let Natasha go with Mia."
There were many rules in the mountainous region, and Yanis had heard Marnon mention quite a few during her time here. Although she was told not to worry, she often saw Marnon and the others being very cautious about certain things.
Hearing Reed's explanation, Yanis didn't find it strange.
Reed looked at Yanis, noticing her pale complexion, and reached out to test her forehead. "I made some porridge. Have some. Mr. Lawrence and the others should be back soon."
Yanis agreed, "Okay."
"By the way, it's cold outside after the rain. Wear a lighter jacket and don't catch a cold again. It seems like there will be more heavy rain these days, so we might not be able to return to Viteto temporarily."
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