Chapter 278: Where Is She?
Hayley’s POV:
I saw Benjamin lying there, completely motionless, his face pale and lifeless. As I walked over, tears flowed down my eyes. “Benjamin, please wake up!” At the same moment, I felt my wolf in agony, a kind of pain I had never felt before.
The memory of the fall kept replaying in my mind. Benjamin had protected me through it all. “Benjamin, why were you so foolish? Why did you protect me like that in such a dangerous moment?”
“Benjamin, please don’t lie there any longer! Wake up! You promised we would get engaged, and we haven’t even had our engagement party yet. You can’t break your promise.”
“I still have so many secrets that I kept from you.”
I leaned over the bed, talking to Benjamin for hours, telling him everything I could think of. But he didn’t respond. Not a single sign of life. I took a deep breath. No matter what, I wouldn’t leave. I had to wait for him to wake up.
Eventually, I fell asleep beside his bed. The next morning, when I opened my eyes, the room was bathed in warm sunlight. Ivana walked in with a smile. She told me, “Hayley, I’ve got news about Christopher.”
“He was rescued by the shelter staff and is recovering there. He’s been trying to find you, so I was able to contact him right away.”
I quickly asked, “What about Christine? Where is she?”
Ivana shook her head and said, “Christopher said he wasn’t with Christine when the avalanche happened. But don’t worry, my team is out looking for her. As long as she’s alive, we’ll find her.”
I felt awful. We had come together as four, but now there were only three of us left with the news.
Christine, where are you?
That day, I stayed by Benjamin’s side at the hospital, and the next day, Christopher arrived. I’ll never forget that moment—seeing Christopher look completely broken, drained of all his usual strength.
“Is he okay?” Christopher’s voice was hoarse, and he seemed to have lost the spark he always had.
“He’ll be fine once he wakes up. It’s just that after so many days, there’s still no sign of improvement.” I tried to reassure him.
Christopher walked to Benjamin’s bedside and looked down at him, his eyes filled with both worry and hope. “Ben, you’ve always been an example to us all. You’ve been our role model since we were kids. Now…”
He reached out and took Benjamin’s hand, gripping it tightly, as though transferring some of his own strength.
“Still no word from Christine?” I asked quietly.
His expression darkened at the mention of her name.
“If I had been there with her, playing in the snow with her… would things have turned out differently? After the avalanche, I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find her.” His voice was filled with regret.
“She’ll be fine,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if I was trying to comfort him or myself.
“You take good care of Ben,” Christopher said softly. “As for Christine, I’m not going back until I find her.” He released Benjamin’s hand, stood up, and left.
My heart sank even deeper. Christine, please come back. We’re all waiting for you.
Benjamin’s POV:
I felt like I had been asleep for ages. Slowly, I opened my eyes, moved my stiff arm, and sat up. In the next moment, my arm brushed against something by the side of the bed. Even though the room was dark, I immediately recognized Hayley.
A warmth spread through me, and I reached for the blanket, pulling it over her to keep her warm. Suddenly, Hayley, who had been sound asleep, woke with a start. “Benjamin… Benjamin… don’t leave!”
She sat up and glanced around; her eyes looked hollowed and frightened. Then her eyes met mine in the darkness. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but she looked at me carefully. “Y–you’re awake?”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled her close and wrapped her tightly in my arms.