Chapter 195 - The Islet Mystery 11

Shiela stiffened as she heard a screeching sound and saw the door moving inwardly. Ryan still held her lips captive in a possessive kiss, and she quickly pushed him away. Yet, instead of stepping back, her eyes got wide when he tightened his hold at her nape, instead,  and placed another hand on her shoulder blade. He withdrew his mouth for a tick of a second, only to delve hers again in a deeper kiss. It took him a long while before he stopped and turned to see who was at the door while Shiela felt she melted in shame at being caught.

"Jane," Ryan called her out, but Jane remained standing at the doorway and did not move. Her eyes were wide and locked at them, but her expression was of a massive shock. It took her second call before she realized she had been called and had been staring at them, and it seemed she didn't know what to say.

"Jane?" Ryan called out her name again, and she stuttered when she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I-I'm sorry," Jane said with a thin and bashful smile, "I did not knock on the door."

Ryan chuckled softly, easing her tension away. Jane's face registered guilt for having intruded and disturbed what seemed like an ongoing intimate activity.

"Jane, it's okay. We're not  high school kids anymore, and seeing us kissing is never a crime."

"I'm sorry, I did not know you're getting serious. I thought you are just eyeing on her," Jane explained as she glanced up at her with a teasing smile before she looked back at Ryan with an overwhelmed look.  

"There's a greater story than that." His reply gave a hint, and Jane did not need further explanation to inculcate it in her mind that he had a past with her.

"I can tell," she confirmed and paused, then threw an amused look at Shiela, whose face turned crimson before giving her a wide smile.

Ryan's arm was on her shoulders as he stood by the bedside while Shiela hid her face in his waist. Jane understood her sense of awkwardness, and she decided to end her plague. 

"Shie, may I check you now?"  

Shiela nodded, but she couldn't dare to look at her in the eye. She would have been prepared to let the rest know about them, but making her see them kissing was totally a different story. She couldn't understand what was on Ryan's mind, and why did he seem to do it intentionally. Just this morning, he announced her engagement to Jullien, and now, just a few hours apart, he also indirectly announce his status with her. What would Jane think about her?

Ryan pecked on Shiela's temple before he left her side and allowed Jane to come to her. Jane then approached her, and Ryan pulled a chair from the dressing table for her to sit on.

"I'll leave you, ladies, for a while. I'll be quick."

"Sure," Jane replied, giving him a glance and a smile over his shoulders.

Shiela took in a deep breath as her eyes followed him until he opened the door and closed it as he left. She heaved a deep sigh when she heard the clicking sound of the closing door before she lifted her head to look at Jane. She met Jane's gaze, and she realized she was observing her, and Shiela felt she could collapse in shame at any minute from now. She swore she was sure Jane had seen how her face lost its color the moment their eyes locked.

Jane smiled, and the gentleness of her expression calmed her down. "When I first met him at the cruise, I wondered if there was a woman so fortunate to capture his heart. For the whole period we were there, I did not see any woman beside him."

"Jullien wasn't there?" Jane's face twitched at the mention of Jullien's name, but she was quick to return to her previous charming facade.

"Perhaps she was not there because we shared so many meals together, and Ryan did not bring any woman along."

"Jane," Shiela held Jane's gaze for a moment before she looked away and paused, perhaps reconsidering her decision to speak out.

"Come on, Shiel, you can trust me," Jane encouraged her, and she held her hand midway towards the pouch, which contained her stethoscope.

"Ryan is engaged to Jullien..." Shiela paused; she suddenly found it hard to continue.

"And you feel guilty that I find out your relationship with Ryan?" Jane continued it for her, knowing all too well that Shiela was afraid that she might think bad about her for betraying Jullien under the same roof.

"I do." 

Jane was silent for a while, groping for the right words to say. She pulled out the pouch again and opened it, taking out her black stethoscope. She then looked at Shiela and gave out a faint smile before opening her mouth to speak.

"I see that Ryan cares about you so much more than how he behaves with Jullien."

"Maybe because I was his first love, and he was mine. We lost communication for eight years and meet again a few days ago." 

Jane held the bell of the stethoscope and placed it on the upper right of her chest. She gave Shiela a quick stare before she spoke again.

"We are only humans, and our hearts are deceptive as ever."

"You experienced this same thing?" Shiela's jaws dropped as she looked at her.

"I got in love with my brother, even though I knew he was married."

Shiela's eyes grew wider in surprise, but then the door squeaked, and Ryan's head popped in as soon as he opened the door.

"How is it, Jane?" Ryan asked as soon as he entered and Jane answered him while she was still moving the bell at Shiela's back.

"Her lungs are clear, but since the complication may not be evident right away, so I'll be giving her prophylaxis. You also did a good job in rescuing and resuscitating her right away, so we have nothing to worry about." 

Ryan glared at Shiela before he turned to Jane. "She scared me to death! I'm glad I was able to reach her just in time."

"By the way, what happened? You're fortunate, Shie, that Ryan saw you. To think, he was with us in Chara when you left."

Shiela looked down as the memory of it brought back the pain. She tried to find the right words to say, but Ryan spoke on her behalf.

"I already suspected that she would do something stupid, so I followed her later inside the house. But instead of finding her there, I saw her through the wall that she was climbing into a boat. I went out and called out to her, but instead of turning towards me, the man paddled faster, and later, I also saw her paddling to help him."

"My goodness! Shie, were you trying to escape?" Jane exclaimed, horrified as she stared hard at Shiela. But instead of hearing her answer, Ryan replied again for her.

"She got jealous of Jullien..."

And Shiela felt like fainting when she realized how transparent she was to him.