The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 872

The forest was a world of its own, with a unique geology and climate.

Danielle knelt beside a piece of equipment, a data tablet in her hand, carefully logging the temperature and humidity readings transmitted from the drone. River Atwood stood nearby, adjusting a weather monitoring device. They exchanged a few words about data parameters, their teamwork seamless and efficient.

“That’s the last data set collected. We can call it a day,” River said, glancing at his watch with a smile. “We’ve been at this since dawn, and the sun’s about to set. We should get the tents up before it gets too dark.”

Danielle nodded, put away her tablet, and helped River unload the camping gear from the SUV. The wind howled through the trees, punctuated by the strange cries of unseen animals. There was nothing else.

They worked in tandem, River assembling the tent frames while Danielle laid out the ground tarps and sleeping bags, both of them moving with practiced skill. By the time the last tent was up, dusk had settled over the forest.

Danielle wiped a thin sheen of sweat from her forehead and ducked into her tent. She still had to sort through the afternoon’s data, and with more fieldwork scheduled for the morning, she needed to get it done quickly.

Inside the small tent, she opened her laptop and began entering the data into a spreadsheet, pausing frequently to double-check the instrument logs. The drone combat simulation they were working on demanded absolute precision; even a 0.1-degree error could compromise the final results. She couldn’t afford a single mistake.

Sometime later, she heard soft footsteps outside, followed by River’s voice.

Danielle took the bowl, the warmth seeping into her fingertips and spreading through her. She sipped the soup. The simple taste of vegetables and salt was incredibly comforting after a long day of work.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” she said, looking at him with a surprised smile. In her experience, River was a sharp, no-nonsense tech lead. She’d never seen this considerate side of him.

River scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “I’m on the road a lot for work, so I’ve learned how to manage. It’s not much, just some soup.” He added, “I was mainly worried about you. You’ve been working hard all afternoon. You need to eat something to keep your strength up.”

A flicker of warmth touched Danielle’s heart, but she didn’t say anything more, just lowered her head and continued drinking her soup. She was aware of River’s feelings for her, but she had always seen him as a trusted colleague and a good friend. She didn’t want his affection to become a burden for either of them.