Chapter 1
Emelie
That cheating bastard!
I've been looking forward to this camping trip with my boyfriend, Chris, for months.
Months!
He promised me a weekend away in the mountains to reconnect and unwind.
So, when his phone goes off, I'm a bit annoyed. We were supposed to unplug. I left my phone in the car, but Chris insisted on bringing his in case of an emergency. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, I see he had other plans.
As I sit in the tent while he's gathering firewood, I wonder when I became so gullible.
Chris has been cheating on me. For a while now, judging by how far back these texts with Roxy go. The most recent?
Roxy: How boring is the family camping trip? I can spice it up for you.
Attached is a photo of her tits. I'm not so pissed off that I can't admit she has a nice rack, but I am a bit vindictive.
Me: Nice rack, but this isn't a family camping trip. I've been his girlfriend for a year, but don't worry, he’s all yours after this.
I turn the phone off, resisting the urge to smash it on the ground, and instead grab my jacket to go for a walk. It's early fall here in Montana, and cold up in the mountains. It's great camping weather and perfect for couples who want to snuggle up to stay warm.
That idea now has my stomach rolling. Chris returns to the campsite just as I step out of the tent. I look at him a bit differently now. He doesn't look at me lovingly like he did when we first got together. No, he looks at me more like a sister.
Family camping trip, my ass.
"Hey, I got us enough wood for the night. What are you making for dinner?" He asks.
I look at him blankly. Did he always talk to me like this? Was I always so blind? I shake my head because he's staring at me, waiting for an answer.
"I'm going for a walk," I tell him, knowing I need to clear my mind before we talk.
"No, you need to make dinner," he says, like he thinks I'm joking.
"Maybe Roxy will come and make you dinner. I found your phone because she was blowing it up, trying to improve your family camping trip. Now, I'm going for a walk to clear my head."
I'm only slightly satisfied with the shock that crosses his face. Without giving him a chance to talk, I take off. He yells after me, saying she’s just a friend, but I saw the whole text chain, including him sending her dick pics. He never sent me dick pics, and we've been dating for a year.
I'm unsure where I'm walking, but I follow one of the three small paths leading from the campsite.
Chris is my boss’s son. Well, he’s more than that. His parents have been my foster parents since I was a teen. When I turned eighteen, his dad gave me a job, and Chris asked me out.
I didn't want to date him at first, but he spent six months winning me over. He always brought me lunch at work and knew how tight money was with my roommate and me, so he ensured we had groceries.
When my roommate got a new job out of town, he insisted I move in with him instead of the roommate I found online. We started dating, and he was the perfect gentleman.
Work has been busier for both of us, and I guess we got into a rut. But I barely have time for Chris, so how does he have time for another girl?
That's when I realize I don't want to stay with him. It'll suck moving out, but it's what needs to happen. If I head back to the campsite now, we can go into town tonight and start moving on with our lives.
I'm not sure how long I've been or how far I've walked, but I turn around and follow the narrow path back to the campsite.
Except, I don't remember walking this far. I was lost in my head. A few minutes later, the trail opens up, and I pick up my pace, knowing I’m approaching the campsite.
Only when I get there, it's empty. The tent is gone, and so are the bags, mine included.
Am I in the right spot?
If it weren't for the pile of wood Chris brought up earlier next to the fire pit, I would think I’d stumbled onto an empty campsite.
The cheating bastard has left me alone in the woods. My heart races, I can’t catch my breath, and I start to panic.
Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths. What do I need to do? Knowing I have a few hours of daylight left, I’m sure I can make it to the main road before nightfall. I have to make it because there’s no way I’ll survive a night in the woods alone with nothing.
If I can make it to the main road, I might be able to get someone to give me a lift into town and let me borrow their phone to call for help, though I'm not sure who I would call.
Okay, which way did we come up from in the car? I look around, knowing it's not the path I just came from. Two other paths lead from the campsite, each going in separate directions. Both paths have footprints because Chris went down one of them to get wood for the fire.
I take a minute to think. I was so mad and don't remember which path it was. Thinking it’s the one to my right, I head down the one on my left to get back to the parking area.
It’s getting windy and a bit chilly, so I pick up my pace, as I want to make sure I get to the road in time.
"Who the hell leaves someone alone in the woods?" I ask, not that anyone can hear me. If someone answered me, I'd probably piss myself.
I'm such an idiot not to see this before. There were so many signs. When I was around, Chris always turned his phone upside down, and he worked late at the office when no one else did.
He stopped posting about me on social media and told me he took his profile down after someone hacked it, and that's why it no longer had a relationship status showing. All big red flags now.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Do his friends know? Is that why he stopped inviting me to hang out with them?
I stop on the path, take a deep breath, and let out a loud yell.
A few birds scatter because I scared them, but I feel a little better. I start walking again because I have to be getting close to the road by now. A good ten minutes later, and still nothing. I don't remember it being this far to the car.
Around the next bend, I hear sounds. Yes, the parking lot! It isn't until I get closer that I recognize the sound of running water, like a river.
Only we didn’t pass any rivers on our way from the car...
Crap. I picked the wrong path, didn't I? Only then do I realize there are no footprints on the trail. That’s just great. I’ve spent all this time walking the wrong way.
Now, I’ll never make it back to the campsite before dark, much less the parking lot, and who knows what’s in these woods. I sigh and head toward the water because all this hiking has made me thirsty.
The river is bigger than I expected. It's relatively clean, and I dip my hand in to get something to drink. The water is relatively warm, considering the cold weather.
Now, which way do I follow the river? It flows down the mountain, which should lead to town. Following it will take me in the same direction as the trail, so I may have been heading the right way and missed a turn-off.
I follow the river and try to remember how to start a fire with two sticks. I never really mastered the technique, so the chances of getting a fire going to keep warm are slim to none.
I'm going to die out here, and no one will ever find me. Great. As far as ways to die, this wasn't on my radar.
All the emotions from today finally hit me. My anger evaporates, but a bit of self-pity filters in, and before I know it, I'm crying. I don't bother wiping away my tears. Who’s going to see me out here?
The thousands of trees could care less, and the random squirrel or bird runs away, so I have no one to impress.
When I finally look up, I'm shocked to see a shirtless man in the river ahead of me. I'm startled for a moment, but I must be close to town if he's here.
I walk closer to ask for help. I shouldn't trust strangers, but what choice do I have? I'll die by morning if I don't ask for help. Even if he kills me, I would have been dead anyway. But with any luck, he’ll save me.
The first thing I notice is that he's tan, which is surprising, considering he’s in Montana. Maybe he works outdoors with his shirt off. He sure has some hard-earned muscles. He hasn't spotted me yet, so I take full advantage, letting my eyes run over him again.
"Hello?" I call out to get his attention.
His back goes ramrod straight, and he doesn't turn as I take a few steps closer.
"I'm lost. I was camping with my boyfriend. Well, now my ex-boyfriend since I caught him cheating. I went for a walk to cool off, and when I got back, he was gone with all our stuff. I thought I was walking back to the main road, but I guess not," I ramble.
He finally turns, and I get my first good look at him. I was right about the muscles. He has muscles I didn't even know existed, and his chiseled arms and chest pulse with strength and power. Nasty scars blend with black ink tattoos on his golden skin. Tribal designs wind down his arms and over his heart. I’m sure they have meaning to him.
His long brown hair clings wetly to the side of his face and neck.
When he speaks, his voice is deep and gravelly. "Turn around."
"Um, if you're going to kill me, I'd rather see it coming if you don't mind." I squeak out.
He cocks his head to the side as he studies me before shaking his head. "I need to get dressed." He nods to a pile of clothes on the riverbank.
"Oh." He's naked in the river.
My cheeks heat as I turn my back, giving him privacy to get out of the water. I hear him sloshing through the river behind me and the water dripping off him as he walks up the riverbank. I hear rustling, so I assume he’s getting dressed.
"Okay," he growls.
I glance over my shoulder to see he’s wearing worn-out jeans but is still shirtless. I turn to face him fully, noticing how huge he is.
I've always been small at five-four, but this man has to be pushing seven feet tall.
I’ve found a sexy giant in the river. Is this the part where he carries me off to his cave?
