Before Elena could enter the police area, she spotted Oslo and his team riding in a police car with some officials. As Ethan's best lieutenant, Oslo was the perfect person to ask about her husband's whereabouts.
Elena waited patiently as the car slowly approached the camp, her heart pounding with anticipation. But she noticed the troubled expressions on their faces as they spoke seriously among themselves.
What is happening?
The unease she had felt earlier intensified. She wanted to rush over and stop the car to demand where Ethan was, but she took a deep breath to calm herself.
She then watched them intently as the vehicle finally came to a stop at the entrance of the police camp.
Before Ethan left to investigate the case of the strange beast, he instructed Oslo to head to the city the next day and pick up the officials who would replace their team. The higher-ups had given Ethan this directive, and he needed to comply.
After an hour of driving back from the city, Oslo opened the car door and guided the officials to the entrance of the police camp. He was eager for them to head to the meeting tent without delay, knowing they needed to discuss the transfer of the investigation and the situation of the chief in detail.
The police chief had been missing since yesterday after heading out to investigate the beast spotted in the village nearby. They were all worried. Oslo wanted the officials who would replace their team to give them more time, as they needed to continue searching for their missing chief.
As Oslo was about to enter the camp, he spotted Elena hiding in a corner near the entrance.
What is sister-in-law doing here?
He paused for a moment, then turned to the officials.
"General Kaiser, let's have breakfast first."
General Kaiser looked at Oslo in confusion. Just a moment ago, he had been eager to discuss matters urgently, but now he seemed to change his mind. Feeling hungry himself, he nodded in agreement.
"Sure," he replied.
Oslo then called his subordinate to guide the officials, and he made an excuse to head to his tent to retrieve his notes.
"Guide them to the cafeteria"
"Yes sir." The subordinate saluted.
Once they were gone, Oslo hurried to Elena to ask why she was here. As soon as Elena saw him approaching, she also walked quickly to meet him.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?"
Elena noticed the distress in his voice as he spoke.
"I was in the area for some business when I heard the police station was camping nearby. I wanted to see if I could find my husband, who has been gone for almost three weeks. Am I allowed to see him, right?"
Oslo felt anxious at her words. The chief still hadn't returned and didn't want to create an excuse that would make Elena resent Ethan more. He knew she wasn't close to the chief yet, especially after what had happened on their wedding day.
He didn't want to add more misunderstandings, but he was at a loss for words. Confidentiality held him back from revealing too much, and if he said the chief wasn't here, Elena might think Ethan didn't care enough to make time for her.
He felt conflicted but managed to give a brief answer.
"Actually, sister-in-law, the chief isn't here. He's currently on a mission nearby. I'll notify him about your arrival as soon as he returns."
The moment Elena heard his response, she sensed that something was off.
"Lieutenant, let's not beat around the bush. Just tell me the truth," she demanded, her voice serious. "Where exactly is my husband?"
Oslo met her gaze, knowing he couldn't keep the secret any longer.
"Sister-in-law, this stays between us. No one else should know about the current situation. The chief hasn't returned since yesterday from the investigation. Someone reported a strange beast in the south, and we went to investigate, unfortunately we had to turn back because we didn't find anything there. But the chief chose to continue the investigation alone, and he hasn't come back."
Elena felt a sense of relief knowing that Ethan was alone, believing this meant he was safe for now and that tragedy would not happen. However, it quickly dawned on her that Poochi was not human. So when Oslo said he was alone, it meant he was alone without any humans by his side, right?
She wanted to clarify.
"What you mean alone? Is this mean he doesn't have anyone with him, right?"
Elena wanted to pray to gods and immortals, hoping he was not with Poochi.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry I believe in chief, plus Poochi is with him."
When Elena heard Poochi was with her husband, she staggered for a moment and remembered a past memory.
She was preoccupied with her uncle's betrayal, venting everything to her husband while he lay bedridden from an injury sustained during a mission. He listened attentively, smiling lovingly at her, unaware that Ethan was struggling with the weight of Poochi's passing.
In a moment of concern, she had asked him about his injury, and he had replied that he was safe, but it had come at the cost of Poochi's life. Instead of offering him the comfort he needed, she responded with an air of entitlement, as if the dog's life didn't matter.
Of course, Poochi was proud to save you as his master, so don't worry too much. It's his job to make sure you are safe.
She had been blissfully unaware back then, completely oblivious to any implications of her words.
How foolish is she?
After that day, Ethan developed an anxiety-driven caution; whenever she sustained even a minor injury, he became overprotective and filled with guilt for not being able to protect her better.
She was momentarily interrupted by Oslo's voice.
"Sister-in-law, are you okay? Don't worry; our team is fully focused on searching for chief. It would be best if you stayed here and waited for an update."
Elena took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was not the time to panic.
"I still have business to attend to. Please let me know as soon as you find my husband."
"We will, sister-in-law," Oslo assured her.
Elena left immediately after learning the situation, her mind racing as she tried to recall past events. But no matter how hard she tried, the memories eluded her. It had been so long ago, and she had been so nonchalant back then.
She felt remorse, and she wanted to slap herself for her past behavior. She should have been more attentive to Ethan; why had she acted like such a brat? Her regrets pressed heavily on her heart as she drove back to the village.