The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 212

Two days later, Sloane woke up in the cabin.

Outside, it was still The Polar Night. The harsh, pale glare from the ceiling lights stabbed at her eyelids. She opened her eyes to find Garrison sitting nearby, scrolling through a tablet in his hands. His face was hidden in the shadows, masking his expression, but Sloane noticed he was still wearing the exact same jacket.

"You're awake." Garrison shut the tablet, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.

He reached out, checking the temperature of her forehead, then gently lifted her eyelids. His fingers found the pulse at her wrist as his eyes flicked to his watch.

Sloane stayed perfectly still, letting him run his checks.

His fingers were warm, pressing against the inside of her wrist like a small, branding seal.

"Your vitals are good enough for a dive today."

He let go and set the tablet aside. "But your biometrics must remain under my surveillance the entire time. Heart rate, blood oxygen, body temperature—if a single metric falls out of the safe zone, you abort immediately. No room for negotiation."

Sloane sat up, the blanket sliding off her shoulders. "Understood."

She stepped out of the cabin, the freezing wind slapping her in the face like a bucket of ice water.

The sky was still pitch black. The beams from their headlamps carved pale, fan-shaped wedges into the snow. In the distance, the professor sat on a crate near the supply station, a hand-drawn map spread across his lap. Diego crouched beside him, wrapping fresh bandages around Josh's head—his snow blindness hadn't fully healed, and a thin layer of gauze still covered his eyes.

"Sloane!" Diego was the first to spot her. He jumped up, grinning like a golden retriever. "You're finally awake! The professor said you might dive today, and I was so nervous I stress-ate three protein bars."

Sloane walked over, and the professor handed her the map.

It was sketched on waterproof paper, covered in pencil-drawn contour lines and arrows. The topography of the lakebed, the location of the thermal vents, and the areas prone to undercurrents were meticulously marked.

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