Chapter 4The Mudslide's Echo

Ethan cut them off immediately.

"Because a secondary slide is coming, we have to evacuate immediately."

"As for Maya and Lily... they've already survived ten days. I have absolute faith they can hold on a little longer."

"Initiate immediate retreat! Anyone who disobeys is permanently kicked off the squad!"

With no other options, the volunteers reluctantly began their descent.

Down in the dark, my daughter's breathing completely stopped.

No matter how hard I patted her cheek, no matter how desperately I called her name, she didn't respond.

I tried to lean down to give her CPR, but the massive boulder had shifted again. Silt and mud poured down, completely burying her face, packing into her nose and mouth.

Within seconds, the mud buried me as well.

My phone, wedged near my hip, vibrated.

It was a text from Ethan.

[Now you finally get to experience exactly how Chloe felt that night. You faked Lily having an allergic reaction to force me to take you to the ER, while Chloe was left standing on the street corner alone with a baby, begging for a ride in the middle of the night. Do you understand how helpless she felt now?]

[Don't worry, I'm not actually leaving you and Lily out there. As soon as I get Chloe safely to the base camp, I'll come back up and get you both out.]

It's a shame that the mud was already filling my throat, suffocating my absolute last, desperate cry for help before it could even leave my mouth.

An hour later, heavily guarded by the rescue squad, my parents, and Ethan, Chloe safely reached the disaster relief tents at the base of the mountain.

The sky was a heavy, suffocating gray. The air smelled strongly of ozone and damp earth.

Someone muttered nervously.

"It looks like the sky is going to open up again. If it pours, it's definitely going to trigger a secondary landslide."

"I heard there are still missing people up there. If another slide hits, they're completely doomed."

"Bro, be realistic. The initial slide hit ten days ago. Even if there isn't a secondary slide, anyone trapped up there is already dead."

Hearing that, a sudden, inexplicable spike of anxiety pierced Ethan's chest.

He walked into the medical tent. Chloe was sitting on a cot, barking orders at a volunteer who was spraying an excessive amount of lidocaine onto her perfectly normal, uninjured ankle.

"Are you absolutely certain you received a text from Maya yesterday?" Ethan asked, his voice tight.

"You're sure she said she and Lily were fine, had food and water, and were just waiting out a sprained ankle in a cave?"

Chloe assumed Ethan had come in to check on her.

Hearing him aggressively interrogate her about me and my daughter, her mood instantly soured.

But she maintained her flawlessly crafted, gentle smile, answering sweetly:

"I already showed you the text message. How could it be fake?"

Ethan was still unsettled. He pressed harder.

"What about the weather reports? What did the NOAA dispatch say? Is there any actual risk of a severe storm or a secondary landslide?"

Chloe's face dropped instantly.

"The weather service updates the radar every hour! The forecast for the entire week is completely clear, and the data syncs directly to your command tablet!"

"If you don't believe me, go check it yourself! Why are you interrogating me?!"

"Or what? Are you regretting the fact that you intentionally left Maya and Lily on the mountain for my sake?"

Ethan frowned defensively.

"That's not what I meant. I'm just worried about their safety..."

Chloe's eyes instantly welled with tears. "Oh, so my safety doesn't matter?!"

"A year ago, I was standing on the side of the highway at midnight, completely alone with my baby. Every single Uber canceled on me. Every cab refused to pick me up."

"When I finally got through to your phone, you told me you were too busy taking Maya and her kid to the ER."

"Ethan, my baby is your child too! How could you treat her like that?!"

My parents immediately jumped in to reprimand Ethan.

"Chloe lost her parents when she was a little girl. She's been with you for three years with no official title, no ring, and she even gave you a child! She has suffered enough!"

"How dare you accuse her of lying?!"

Unable to defend himself against the onslaught, Ethan could only apologize profusely.

Chloe turned her back to him, giving him the silent treatment.

Until her phone suddenly rang. It was her neighbor.