The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 15

Crystal Lynn's knuckles turned white as she gripped her phone.

"What? She's still alive?"

"That wretched girl has nine lives, I swear—"

"Don't worry. You'll get what's coming to you."

Joanna Taylor followed Aunt Lin up the mountain to pick mushrooms.

That morning, Aunt Lin had visited, warmly taking Joanna's hand.

"Ah-Rou, after the rain, the mushrooms are plentiful. Come with me to gather some."

"One, it'll help nourish your brother. Two, it'll bring in a little extra for the household. Your brother can't manage everything alone, you know."

Joanna felt tempted. After all, Sean Yates wasn't her real brother, and she'd always felt guilty. So she agreed.

They arrived at a secluded mountain path.

With no one around, Aunt Lin's eyes gleamed with malice.

She suddenly lunged at Joanna, shoving the unprepared girl toward the cliff with all her strength.

Joanna's eyes widened in terror as her body plummeted uncontrollably.

Aunt Lin turned and fled the scene.

Fear flickered in her heart, but the thought of the 100,000 yuan hidden in her stove—enough to secure her son's education—steadied her resolve.

Joanna lay weakly among the jagged rocks at the base of the cliff, her body covered in cuts from sharp stones and branches. Her consciousness began to fade...

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and a torrential downpour began.

The heavy rain triggered a landslide, sending massive chunks of earth and rock tumbling down, worsening the already perilous situation.

Despair filled Joanna's heart. Was this really where she would die?

Ryan Bennett had just arrived in the village when he heard the news of Joanna's disappearance.

Fury twisted his expression as he grabbed Sean by the collar.

"What the hell were you thinking, letting her go to such a dangerous place?"

Guilt weighed heavily in Sean's eyes.

Without a word, he pulled on his raincoat.

"I'm going into the mountains to find Ah-Rou."

Ryan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay rational.

"Get a rescue team ready. I'll go in first."

His assistant panicked.

"Mr. Bennett, it's too dangerous right now—"

"I can't lose her a second time."

The assistant fell silent, watching helplessly as the two men disappeared into the storm.

Inside the mountains, Ryan and Sean searched frantically.

Ryan's wrist was struck by a falling rock, but he gritted his teeth against the pain, refusing to stop.

Only one thought consumed him:

"Joanna, wait for me."

Sean, too, called out Joanna's name, scouring every inch of the treacherous terrain.

The rain-slicked paths made walking nearly impossible, and he stumbled multiple times, struggling forward through the shifting earth.

Finally, in a hidden hollow, Ryan spotted Joanna—barely clinging to life.

"Joanna!" He sprinted to her side, pulling her into his arms.

"Joanna, wake up. I'm here to save you."

His voice trembled, tears mixing with the rain as they fell onto Joanna's face.

Joanna weakly stirred, her mind filled with fragmented visions—

A cold, disdainful voice: "Stop making a scene. Get lost."

A little girl's sweet voice calling, "Mommy!"

A kind old woman gently stroking her hair.

Joanna's movements grew more frantic.

Ryan held her tightly, murmuring reassurances.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

"You'll never be alone again. I won't leave you."

In the distance, a faint light flickered—likely the rescue team's flashlights.

Ryan shouted for help. The light grew closer until the rescuers' figures became visible. Only then did he allow himself to collapse, unconscious.