The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 288

Jocelyn stopped breathing, the blood freezing in her veins.

The four of them raced back to the apartment complex at top speed.

Maria was pacing frantically outside the building.

The moment she saw their car pull up, she ran over, her face blotchy with tears, her voice hoarse from crying.

Not once did it cross Jocelyn's mind to blame the older woman.

She knew Maria understood exactly how much her mother meant to her, and that Maria treated Sylvia with more care than she treated herself.

If Sylvia was gone, it absolutely wasn't out of negligence.

Despite the sheer panic gripping her chest, Jocelyn couldn't bear to see Maria in such agony and tried to comfort her.

"Maria, please, take a breath. Calm down and tell us exactly what happened."

Maria wiped her red eyes.

"After you all left, she paced around the apartment for a while. I figured she was just feeling anxious in a new place, so I stayed right by her side."

"Eventually, she got tired. She ate a little something, and then she went to her room."

"I walked her to the bedroom myself. I literally watched her get into bed and close her eyes. I figured she was asleep, so I went to the kitchen to clean up."

"But when I finished and went back to check on her... she wasn't there."

"Miss Jocelyn!" Maria wailed, overwhelmed with guilt. "I'm a foolish old woman! I am so, so sorry!"

Jocelyn gently held her arms.

"Maria, you didn't do anything wrong. You don't need to apologize. And I know we'll find her. She can't have gone far."

Sarah chimed in quickly.

"Exactly! Don't panic, Maria. We're going to fan out and look for her right now. I promise we'll find her in no time."

Julian was, as always, the anchor of calm in the chaos.

"Liam, you and Sarah go to the property management office. Pull the security footage and see which direction she went."

"Maria, go back up to the apartment and wait. If she comes back, call us immediately."

"Jocelyn and I will start searching the immediate area. Everyone keep your phones on."

Half an hour passed.

Nothing.

Jocelyn's eyelid was twitching erratically, a deep, sickening dread pooling in her stomach.

"Julian, do you think my mom could be..."

Julian gripped her shoulders firmly.

Sarah felt physically ill.

They had finally made it. Jocelyn had found her real mother, cut ties with all the toxic people in her life, and was starting over.

Next week, she was starting her new job at Vanguard Tech.

Everything was supposed to be bright and beautiful from here on out.

How could this happen?

It was a brutal reminder of how cruel fate could be. They were all just pawns, at the complete mercy of the universe, unable to fight back or choose their own paths.

All they could do was brace for impact.

Unable to bear the silence, Sarah leaned forward.

"Jo, I know she's going to pull through. Your mom is a survivor. She's survived everything else life threw at her, she'll survive this."

Liam opened his mouth to add something, but quickly realized any words would ring hollow.

He just placed a gentle hand on Sarah's arm, signaling her to give Jocelyn quiet support instead.

When they sprinted through the hospital doors, the overhead speakers were blaring for a Code Blue.

Jocelyn's legs turned to lead. She could barely force herself to keep moving.