Chapter 162

Chapter 162
"Elena, what the hell are you doing?"

Emma stood on the bank, a basket of herbs in her hands. Her eyes darted between my hands on Richard's foot and him.

"Are you serious right now?" she continued. "Are you actually washing his feet?"

I felt my face flush hot with embarrassment as I tried to explain. "Emma, it's not what you—"

"You can't honestly think this will work, right?" She cut me off, turning to Richard. "I'm warning you, this man isn't so easily manipulated."

Before I could defend myself, Richard yanked his foot away, his expression hardening instantly. He stood up, water dripping from his legs as he stepped onto the bank. The vulnerability I'd glimpsed moments ago vanished completely, replaced by icy disdain.

"Richard," I started, scrambling to my feet, "don't listen to her. That wasn't my intention—"

"Then what was your intention?" His voice cut like a blade, low and dangerous. "I almost forgot—you'd do anything to get your children back, wouldn't you? Changing tactics now?"

The accusation stung worse than a physical blow. My hands fell limply to my sides, any explanation dying on my lips. What was the point? His mind was already made up.

"You know what? Forget it," I said, straightening my spine. My pride wouldn't allow me to grovel or explain further. "Believe whatever you want."

Lily and Kathy, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes, suddenly erupted.

Kathy protested, her small face flushed with anger. "My mom was just helping because Dad didn't want to wear his dirty shoes!"

"Yeah!" Lily joined in, stepping protectively in front of me.

"You're so naive. If his shoes were dirty, I could have just brought him new ones from the car. I have quick-dry socks right here." She patted her bag meaningfully. "The parking lot isn't far."

The twins' faces fell, their righteous defense crumbling. Even I felt deflated, realizing how the situation must have looked to an outsider.

I refused to let Emma see how deeply her words had cut. With practiced calm, I turned to Max. "Come, sweetheart. Let's go get lunch."

I walked away without looking back.

Behind me, I heard Lily and Kathy's angry voices, then their hurried footsteps as they caught up to me.

---

The farmhouse kitchen buzzed with activity as families prepared their lunches. Patty's mother waved us over to her table, where she'd already started chopping vegetables.

"Elena, join us!" she called cheerfully. "Patty's been asking to play with Max all morning."

I gratefully accepted, glad for the distraction. Patty and Max immediately ran off to a corner with their dolls while the adults prepared lunch.

"So, shall we team up this afternoon too?" Patty's mother suggested, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "That woman—Patty doesn't like her much either."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She nodded vigorously. "Says she's mean to children." She shrugged.

I wasn't surprised either. Emma's personality had been clear from our first meeting.

"What's our afternoon task?" I asked, eager to change the subject.

"Forest foraging," she replied enthusiastically. "We get to keep some of what we gather, too. I'm hoping for red maples."

"Red maples?" I echoed, confused.

"It can be processed into maple syrup."

I listened as she vividly described this mysterious plant, my interest genuinely piqued despite the morning's emotional exhaustion.

---

After lunch, we headed toward the hillside plots for our afternoon assignment. The forest paths wound through increasingly dense vegetation, dappled sunlight playing through the canopy above.

Patty's mother continued introducing various food ingredients as we walked, her enthusiasm infectious. "Just wait until you taste it! Nothing compares."

We reached our designated area and began working, the children helping to gather edible plants under supervision. Everything proceeded smoothly—until Patty and her mother disappeared.

I didn't think much of it until Max came running up to me, his small face concerned.

"Mommy, Patty and her mom are gone!"

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"They went to find red maple," Max explained, pointing deeper into the forest. "Patty said her mom knows where they grow."

I glanced at the sun, already beginning its westward descent. We had less than an hour before we needed to rejoin the main group. The woods weren't safe after dark, especially with children.

"We need to find them," I decided, gathering our things. "If they don't make it back in time, they'll miss the bus."

"I'll help you look, Mommy," Max offered, extending his small hand.

I took it gratefully, heart swelling with love for my brave little boy. Together, we set off into the deeper woods.

"Patty? Where are you?" I called out, my voice echoing through the dense trees. We'd been searching for nearly half an hour now, and the forest seemed to swallow our calls.

Max's small hand tightened around mine. "Mommy, let's not go any further. "

I knelt down, bringing myself to his eye level. His small face was pinched with worry.

"It's okay to be scared, sweetie. But we need to find Patty and her mom before it gets dark."

Inside, I was torn. I should take Max back to safety, but I couldn't abandon Patty and her mother. What if they were lost or hurt?

I lifted Max into my arms. His small body pressed against mine, warm and trusting. "Let's go a little further, and if we don't find them, we'll go back and get help."

We pushed deeper into the forest, calling out periodically. The forest grew denser, the afternoon light filtering weakly through the thick canopy above.

"Patty? Can you hear me?" I shouted, my voice sounding strangely muffled in the oppressive silence.

Something felt wrong. The forest was too quiet—no birds, no rustling of small animals. Just a heavy, watching silence that made my skin crawl.

After another few hundred meters, my instincts couldn't be ignored any longer.

"We need to go back," I decided, turning around.

Just as I pivoted, a sudden movement caught my eye. Something long and sinuous slithered from the underbrush, its scales gleaming dully in the fading light.

A snake. Not just any snake—a large one, its head raised, eyes fixed on us with predatory focus.

Primal fear shot through me. "Oh God—"

I stepped back instinctively, but my foot met empty air instead of solid ground. I hadn't realized how close we were to the edge of a slope.

Time slowed as I felt myself falling. My arms tightened around Max as I twisted my body, trying to protect him from the impact. My scream tore through the silence as we tumbled down the steep incline.

"Ahhhh!"

Pain exploded through my shoulder and hip as we hit the ground and rolled. Rocks and branches scraped against my skin. I kept Max clutched to my chest, absorbing every impact with my own body.

When we finally stopped rolling, I lay there gasping, the world spinning around me.

"Max? Baby, are you okay?"

Max had a red scrape on his cheek. "Mommy, I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

I tried to sit up, wincing as pain shot through my ankle. "It's okay, sweetheart. "

But looking up at the steep slope we'd tumbled down, I wasn't so sure.