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    Chapter 2343


    Elias frowned deeply; his worry etched onto his face.


    "We''ve been shouting Ms. Alyssa''s name the whole way. With so many of us calling out, she should''ve heard us by now if she were nearby!"


    In a deep voice, Jasper said, "The wind is too strong, and then there''s the heavy snowfall. Our voices are being drowned out. Lyse might not hear us at all.


    Lyse.


    Her nickname slipped from his lips before he even realized it.


    "I''m just afraid she''s injured-or worse, fainted. If she cks out in this cold..." Elias trailed off, his voice heavy with dread. "On a day like this, she won''t survive long. She''ll freeze to death."


    The group exchanged uneasy nces, the reality of his words tightening their chests.


    It wasn''t that Elias was being a doomsayer. Rather, this was the cruel reality that might actually happen.


    Crater Mountain imed lives every year. Danger lurked unpredictably in the woods on the mountain-anything could unfold.


    "Let''s split up," Jaspermanded, his eyes fixed on the shadowy forest. His voice carried an edge of desperation. "We''re not leaving until we find her."


    Elias hesitated. "But what if-


    "If anything happens to her," Jasper cut him off, his voice trembling with fierce determination, ''I''ll make this ce my grave. I mean it."


    Before anyone could respond, Jasper turned and strode into the darkness, his figure quickly swallowed by the night.


    Elias watched him disappear, exhaling a heavy sigh. "They''re right when they say aristocratic families raise people with fiery hearts."


    Jasper trudged through the snow, his mind racing.


    When Alyssa finally convinced him to make her a promise, all she asked was for him to go hiking with her. But she didn''t mean just a hike. She wanted them to retrace their past. If he were Alyssa, where would he go? Jasper''s heart raced as he strained to stay vignt. He arrived at the cave-the very ce where he and Alyssa had once sought refuge during thendslide.


    As he stared into the empty cave, memories of that day surged back-the harrowing brush with death, the suffocating fear, and the unspoken bond of survival that had tethered them together.


    "If God doesn''t protect you, I will."


    That promise wasn''t just words; it was carved into his heart. He had not forgotten it. He had remembered it. Jasper''s world swirled in dizzying chaos. A heavy thud echoed as his strength gave out, sending him crashing to his knees. His eyes, bloodshot and weary, glistened with the weight of exhaustion and turmoil.


    "Alyssa... I have to find you..."


    Clenching his fists, he wed at the frozen ground, forcing himself to stand. His muscles screamed in protest, but he pushed forward. "I have to... find you!"


    In the midst of hopelessness, the temperature continued to plummet.


    The weather was as ruthless and cold as reality.


    Alyssa huddled into a tight ball, pressing herself against the rock. The pure white snow nketed her almost entirely, rendering her nearly invisible to anyone who wasn''t looking carefully.


    She squeezed her eyes shut, her lips a chilling shade of purple as hypothermia took its toll. Disoriented and barely clinging to awareness, her mind wavered in a haze of confusion.


    Soon, her entire body would be frozen stiff, and she would be at death''s door.


    Alyssa trembled violently as she curled tighter into herself. Lost in a daze, fragments of heartwarming childhood memories flickered in her mind-a fleeting warmth against the encroaching cold.


    The cold seemed to fade from her senses, reced by an unexpected warmth. In the depths of her daze, herte mother had appeared, her arms wide open, enveloping Alyssa in aforting embrace.


    "Lyse, my sweet girl. Don''t be afraid. I''m here.''


    The beautiful and gentle woman stroked her hair. "I know that you''ve been through a lot. Go to sleep. I''ll keep watch over you...


    "Mom... I''m exhausted...


    Alyssa felt so weak that it felt as if she could crumble at any moment. Tears welled up in her eyes, her voice barely a whisper as she murmured, "Mom... Jasper doesn''t want me anymore. I can''t hold on anymore. Mom.... Take me away. Mom...


    Just as she was on the brink of losing consciousness, she heard the sound of a familiar voice calling out to her, albeit vaguely.


    "Alyssa!"This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Was that Jasper?


    Alyssa was startled, as if a jolt of electricity had gone through her. Her eyes fluttered open while she was still in that woman''s arms, whose face was now blurry.


    "Lyse, Jasper has already abandoned you. He no longer wants you, so why would he be here to search for you? Go to sleep. Sleep tight," the woman in Alyssa''s imagination uttered bewitchingly. Her voice ate at her willpower.


    Feeling despondent, Alyssa let out a bitterugh.


    Yeah, how could that be Jasper''s voice?


    She no longer had any hope in that man.


    Nevertheless, in the next second, Alyssa felt a pair of hands gripping her shoulders tightly. It was as if they were about to dig their fingers into her flesh to anchor her soul.


    Dazedly, she opened her eyes.


    In the darkness and gloom, Jasper''s sharp eyes shined brightly like the stars in the night sky.