A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 116

"I'm not eating it," Ana said coldly, shaking her head.

Thomas fell silent. After a brief hesitation, he decided not to eat it either.

Wendy and Sally returned after taking their herbs and glanced at them. "You two aren't eating?"

"No," Ana replied flatly.

"I'll wait a bit. Maybe the pain will go away on its own," Thomas said, rubbing his stomach.

Upon seeing their stubbornness, Wendy and Sally didn't press further. They simply leaned back, closed their eyes, and waited for the herbs to take effect.

A few moments later, Sally opened her eyes, surprise and relief flashing across her face. She turned to Thomas and Ana. "My stomach feels so much better. It really works. You two should take some too."

"Yeah. I told you, it helps," Connor added.

Neither he nor Sally knew about the ongoing tension between Demi and Ana's family, so they were simply encouraging them for their own good.

Nigel and Wendy, however, did know—so they stayed quiet, pretending to rest.

Thomas looked at Ana, who was still doubled over, clutching her stomach. In the end, he got up, grabbed some herbs, and crouched by the tent to eat them.

He was just in too much pain.

Ana watched his back, her eyes filled with frustration and resentment.

Meanwhile, Wendy also realized she was starting to feel better.

She took out her phone and sent Demi a message. "Demi, thank you. We all had stomachaches tonight, but after eating your herbs, we feel so much better."

…

On the other side, Demi's group had already fallen asleep.

Before setting up their tent in the afternoon, they cut a strip from their waterproof tarp and used it as a layer beneath their upper bodies.

The six of them—men and women separated—slept in a row on either side of the fire.

George and Sam were so exhausted they had already started snorting softly.

The small fire still crackled gently, occasionally making soft popping sounds.

But Josh remained completely still as if in a deep sleep.

"Old man, if you can hear me, say something," Catherine said urgently, her face tense. She reached out and shook his shoulder.

"The timing doesn't have to be exact. He'll probably wake up soon, " their son, Michael William, reassured her.

"Yes, yes… He's not a machine. It's not like he has to wake up exactly on time," Catherine nodded.

Ten more minutes passed. Josh still hadn't woken up.

"Mom, why don't you rest for a bit? Michael and I can keep watch," Silvia said gently, noticing Catherine's exhaustion.

"I won't be able to sleep until your dad wakes up," Catherine murmured, shaking her head.

A faint, muffled groan escaped from Josh's lips just as she spoke. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes.

Catherine, Silvia, and Michael froze.

They stared at him, wide-eyed, barely daring to blink. They couldn't help but wonder whether this was real or just a dream.