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.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify