He Led the Rescue Astray Chapter 1

My adoptive mother disappeared in the national forest.

My husband, a park ranger, took only a few seconds to start searching in the completely opposite direction.

When I realized his mistake, I stumbled through the brush, rushing to the front of the search party to point them the right way.

But he just shoved me aside.

"Are you the ranger, or am I? My gut is never wrong!"

It wasn't until he returned from that wrong path, carrying another woman on his back, that I understood. As his old flame, Mina, threw herself into his arms, sobbing with relief, the truth hit me. He deliberately chose the wrong direction just to save her mother.

My mother was found a day later, not far from the correct trail. Her leg had been shattered by a bear trap. She had bled to death.

Seeing her cold, lifeless body on the hospital gurney, my vision turned red. I lunged at my husband, screaming, tearing at him, demanding to know why he hadn't saved her.

Mina, seeing her hero under attack, snatched a scalpel from a nearby tray and plunged it through my carotid artery.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the exact moment my husband chose the wrong path.

* * *

"The tracks disappear here! This way, men! Follow me!"

The familiar words echoed in my head, jolting me back to consciousness. My eyes snapped open to see Alex waving his arm, about to lead the search party down the wrong trail.

It was happening all over again. In my last life, Alex had insisted my mother was lost on the other side of the mountain.

I had screamed myself hoarse, telling them it was the wrong way. I had scrambled to the front of the line, trying to get him to just look again at the signs.

He had simply pushed me away.

"Are you the park ranger, or am I, Lily? I know these woods like the back of my hand. My instincts are never wrong!" he'd yelled. "Mom is missing, and you're just making a scene! We're losing precious time, and if anything happens to her, that's on you! Besides, she's my mother too. You think I wouldn't try to save her?"

Oh, you would. You absolutely would choose not to.

I had trusted his judgment completely, letting him lead everyone down that fateful fork in the trail. And he did find someone. Just not my mother.

The woman he carried on his shoulders was the mother of his first love, Mina.

Meanwhile, my own mother was just off the main trail, her legs crushed in a steel trap, waiting alone for a rescue that came too late. A local found her a day later, but she had already bled out.

This time, I would not let my mother die again.

Done trying to reason with Alex, I spun around and ran back to the command post to find the Chief Ranger.

"The other path at the fork! That was my mother's last known route!"

Alex saw me talking to the Captain and stormed back, grabbing my arm.

"Sorry, Captain. My wife doesn't know what she's talking about."

He tightened his grip. "I already checked that other trail. It’s well-traveled, a safe route. There's no way anyone could get lost there."

He pulled me aside, his voice a low hiss. "Don't cause any more trouble! Leave this to the professionals. Just wait here quietly!"

I ignored him, wrenching my arm free and turning back to the Captain.

Alex’s patience snapped. He slapped me across the face, the force sending me stumbling to the ground.

"Lily! I told you to stop this nonsense!" he roared. "How could anyone go missing on a path people use every day?"

The slap left my ears ringing, but I didn't care. I crawled on my hands and knees to the Captain's feet.

"Please," I begged, "please, save my mother!"

Alex moved to drag me away, but the Captain held up a hand, stopping him.

"Hold on," the Captain said, his eyes narrowed. "Are you telling me you unilaterally dismissed the possibility of her being on the other trail, Ranger?"

Alex froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

A ranger knows the forest, but no one can be 100% certain where a missing person might be. Standard procedure was to dispatch teams to every possible route from a fork. By insisting on taking the entire team down one path, Alex had blatantly violated protocol.

He scrambled for an excuse. "No, it's not like that. The other path leads to a much more remote area. The chances of her being lost there without being found are much higher..."

His voice trailed off, his confidence evaporating under the Captain's cold stare.

The Captain shot him a look of utter disdain before giving the order. "Split into two teams. Find her, now."

The Captain had intended for Alex to lead the team searching for our mother, but Alex deliberately broke away from his assigned group and sprinted toward the other trail.

Watching his eager silhouette disappear down the wrong path, my last ounce of hope for him withered and died.