He Waited She Wilted (Ottilie and Yorath) novel Chapter 168

Suddenly, a loud rustling echoed through the woods.

The flashlight beams snapped away from the tree, zeroing in on the noise.

"Over there!"

As her vision slowly returned, Ottilie peered in the direction of the sound but saw nothing.

Then, two more distinct rustles followed.

This time she saw it clearly—someone was throwing rocks to create a diversion.

Someone was helping her!

She peered down, but the blinding flashlight beams obscured everything.

She had no idea who her savior was.

The men immediately charged toward the noise.

Seizing the moment, she scrambled down the tree and bolted in the opposite direction.

She ran until she was entirely spent, until her legs refused to move, until she was on the verge of collapsing.

Finally stopping behind a massive boulder, she slumped to the ground, entirely paralyzed by exhaustion.

She was starved, freezing, and utterly drained, her mind slipping into a hazy delirium.

The moment she closed her eyes, she passed out.

The storm had finally broken.

Not a cloud in the sky. Golden sunlight pierced through the canopy, spilling onto the forest floor.

Birds sang, and wildflowers bloomed.

The entire forest seemed to spring back to life, vibrating with energy.

Yorath, still recovering from his injuries and burning with a persistent fever that required heavy medication, immediately led the search party the moment the sun rose.

Elian Zouch and Jevon Crawford shadowed him, terrified his condition would turn fatal.

This time, without any clear direction or tracking data, they relied entirely on Yorath's intuition.

Wherever he pointed, the massive rescue team followed.

After hiking all morning, they paused to rest and build a fire.

The thick smoke would act as a beacon if Ottilie was anywhere nearby.

Suddenly, a rescuer shouted.

"I found a shoe! A woman's shoe!"

He sprinted over to Yorath, holding it up. "Mr. Fordham, look! Doesn't this match the one we found earlier?"

Yorath inspected it. It was undeniably hers.

A team of tracking experts immediately analyzed the terrain.

The soil in this area was densely packed and covered in thick layers of dead leaves, making footprints impossible to spot.

Jevon stood beside him, entirely unbothered by the scenery.

"Yorath, your mother's condition is deteriorating rapidly. Your older and younger brothers have already gone to the hospital to match their bone marrow. You're the only one left."

Yorath remained silent.

The dappled sunlight hit his face, making him look as though he were carved from ice.

He exuded an aura of absolute, uncompromising coldness.

"As long as she's alive, I promise I will find her and bring her back for you. But your mother cannot wait."

Early that morning, Yorath's grandfather had called personally.

His tone had been exceedingly severe.

Yorath had merely given a noncommittal hum and hung up.

Jevon and Elian hadn't dared to breathe a word.

Everyone assumed Yorath would rush back to care for his critically ill mother, yet here he was, personally leading the expedition into the deep mountains.

Truthfully, in everyone's eyes, no matter how appealing Ottilie was, she was ultimately just a plaything.

She would never be accepted into his family.

They all believed their relationship was purely physical, never emotional.

Between a woman you could buy and your own flesh-and-blood mother, the choice should have been effortless.