Transmigrated: Stealing the CEO husband-Chapter 48: Stuck in cave

"I seem to be the only person here," Ariana mumbled as she trekked through the forest. The owls

As Ariana trekked through Todoroki Valley in the evening, the landscape transformed into something almost mystical.

The narrow trail wound alongside a gently flowing stream, its surface reflecting the dimming twilight. Towering bamboo groves and ancient trees formed a lush canopy overhead, filtering the last golden rays of sunlight and casting long, flickering shadows on the moss-covered rocks. Fireflies began to emerge, their soft glow adding an ethereal touch to the surroundings.

The stone pathways, some slick from the lingering mist of the day, led past craggy cliffs draped in vines. The air was thick with the fresh scent of damp earth, mingled with the faint, sweet aroma of wild camellias. The sound of trickling water echoed as Ariana neared the small waterfalls tucked between the rocks.

Further along, the Fudo-no-Taki waterfall came into view, its gentle cascade catching the last light, turning the droplets into tiny silver streaks. A nearby red bridge, partially obscured by the deepening dusk, stood in striking contrast to the greenery.

"Finally, I’ve arrived."

The red bridge of Todoroki Valley. The point of the fateful meeting.

"Looks like the party is yet to start." Arian took a spot on a boulder. Somewhat hidden from the main site.

It was when she heard the footsteps. Luiss arrived first to stand at the bridge. With a look full of longing, he stared into the distance.

Ariana knew what was going on in his mind. His grandfather was for Japan. He used to bring him here often.

He was missing his grandfather, the old days.

After staring at what felt like hours, he climbed down the bridge and trekked back. All of a sudden his feet slipped on a boulder and he feel down, twisting his feet.

He looked at his feet. Groaning in pain, he tried to get up, only to slip again and worsening his injury.

He was stuck

"That’s when female lead arrives."

Before the female arrived, Ariana took the opportunity and emerged from the shadows.

"You...!" For a moment Luiss forgot his pain. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask the same question from you."

"I came here often as a child."

"I just looked up natural places to visit and the valley’s name popped up."

"It’s pretty late why are you not back yet."

"Well, I’m lost."

Luiss: "..."

"And I think you are injured."

Ariana took off her backpack and opened the first Aid box. When she went ahead to touch his elbow, he flinched away.

"Have you been stalking me?" Eyes sharp as dagger, stared at him as his lips curled up into a loopsided smile "I mean it won’t be unusual if you stalked me."

Ariana rolled her eyes. "President Luiss, don’t be so pleased with yourself. I admit you are handsome but there is no lack of handsome men in this world."

"So you think I’m handsome... Interesting."

Ariana face flushed. "Nonsense, I do not think so." She reached out to his arm again. This time he didn’t flnch and she tended to his wound.

Due to slipping he had gotten many scratches over his elbow, arms and shin area. Ariana carefully cleaned the wound. Applying the antiseptic and an antibiotic over his wounds. She very skillfully opened the gauze and covered his wounds in multiple layers.

All the while Luiss was staring at her. Watching her engrossed in providing medical help he as in awe.

After neatly dressing his wounds, Ariana pulled back with a smile. "Now that should prevent any infection."

"How do you know so much about medicines?"

"What do you mean."

He raised his elbow. "The way you dressed my wound is like you ave been doing this for years."

"I just followed the Frst Aid guidance."

"I have seen a first aid tool kit. It doesn’t have the items like regular first Aid."

Ariana had known Luiss was gonna get injured. So she had kept additional septics and antibiotics using the knowledge of her last life.

She coughed. "My brother, he is a medical student. He prepared this kit for me."

Luiss seemed to finally ease up upon hearing a reasonable conversation.

As silence lingered between them with the distant sound of owls, Luiss suddenly spoke. "How are we gonna get back?"

"With your injured leg, I don’t think President Luiss can walk his way back."

Luiss acquired. "Let’s discover a place to rest then."

Ariana led Luiss to a nearby cave she remembered from the storyline. Once he sat down, she sighed in relief.

They were out of the female lead’s way now. However, when she checked the mission status it was still in progress, not completed.

Looks like she had to spend the night with President Luiss for it to be completed.

The cave was cool and damp, its walls glistening faintly in the dim light that filtered through the entrance. The air carried the scent of wet stone and earth, mingled with the distant trickle of water deeper within. As Ariana sat on a flat rock, wrapping her arms around her knees, memories surfaced—fragile yet vivid, like flickering shadows cast by a dying fire.

She could almost hear her parents’ laughter echoing through the trees, blending with the crackling of a campfire. The scent of charred marshmallows and pine needles filled her mind, pulling her back to those warm summer nights when they would set up their tent beneath a canopy of stars. Her father’s deep voice had always carried a sense of quiet reassurance as he told stories about constellations, pointing out Orion’s Belt or the North Star with an outstretched finger. Her mother, with her gentle hands, would tuck the sleeping bag snugly around her, whispering lullabies that melted into the chorus of crickets.

The cave’s silence pressed in, stark and hollow against the richness of those memories. A lump rose in her throat as she traced a finger along the cold stone beside her, wishing it were the rough bark of the old oak they used to sit under. The past felt so close yet unreachable, like trying to grasp firelight in her palms.

A gust of wind sighed through the cavern, and she shivered, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. The memories hurt, but they were all she had left—embers of a fire long extinguished, glowing softly in the darkness