A Marriage Crushed by the Flood

My best friend Nathalia Foster and I both married into the Berry family, and soon after, we each found out we were pregnant.

I married the elder brother Donavan Berry, who was the rescue team leader, while she married the younger brother Victor Berry, an emergency doctor. Our families lived in the same neighborhood.

When we were seven months pregnant, the city was hit by a torrential downpour.

My whole body was soaked in the rain, my abdomen was cramping, and the water around me was tinged with red.

Trembling, I hid on the balcony and shakily called my husband for help.

He hung up on me five times in a row before finally answering, his voice full of suppressed anger.

"It's pouring rain, and I'm out on a mission. Don't you watch the news? Stop bothering me! If you need help, find the person responsible for that area! Kelsie's legs cramped while escaping, and I still have to get her to the rescue station. I'm busy now!"

In my moment of despair, Nathalia arrived in an inflatable boat and saved me.

Seeing my skirt stained red with blood, she immediately called her husband for help.

But he ruthlessly scolded her, "Don't you know the hospital is swamped with victims today because of the storm? I'm so busy, and you insist on arguing with me now? Kelsie is hurt and waiting for me. Calm yourself down!"

At some point, a hole appeared in the inflatable boat.

With my added weight, the air was leaking out faster and faster.

Finally, Nathalia had to drag me through the water and swim to the hospital.

I barely survived, but she lost her child.

The moment I woke up, we both decided to get divorced.

***

When the anesthesia wore off and I opened my eyes, the city's rainstorm had finally stopped.

My phone had long been swept away by the flood, so I borrowed Nathalia's phone to call Donavan and tell him I wanted a divorce.

The phone rang until it was about to cut off when he finally picked up.

He thought it was Nathalia calling, and his voice was filled with impatience and anger.

"If you need something, call Victor. I'm still busy."

In the background, I faintly heard Kelsie Rocha's soft cry of pain.

And there was Victor's gentle reassurances.

I smiled bitterly, "Let's get divorced. Contact me when you're done."

He paused for two seconds after hearing my voice and then burst into anger.

"Isn't it enough? Didn't I tell you I'm busy saving lives? Didn't you figure out why I blocked your number?

"You're comfortable lying at home, but do you even know what's happening outside? I don't have time for your nonsense! Kelsie is just someone I happened to rescue. If you insist on misunderstanding, that's on you!

"I'm telling you for the last time. Don't joke about the baby or divorce. I'm busy with work! Call me again, and I'll block your best friend's number too!"

Before I could respond, he hung up.

My arm fell weakly, and the phone landed on the blanket.

I never would have thought that after five years together, this was how things would end.

Was Kelsie really just someone he happened to rescue?

Her home was nowhere near his assigned rescue area.

He was so busy saving others that he completely forgot that our neighborhood was low-lying.

Or had he ever cared about me?

He assumed I could survive just by staying on the second floor.

When our home flooded, he didn't even bother to call.

I was driven to the balcony by the rain, shivering from the cold, with my teeth chattering.

My entire body was soaked, my abdomen cramping, and the water around me was tinged with red.

The first time I called him, the phone alerted me that he was on another call.

The next four times, he directly hung up on me.

The rain was slowly rising to my neck as tears streamed down my face.

I raised my phone high and called him one last time. This time, he finally picked up.

My voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, "Honey, the house is flooded... Please save me. My stomach hurts so much. I'm bleeding..."

As I struggled to speak, the water around me turned an even deeper shade of red.

After waiting a few seconds, all I heard on the phone was the howling wind.

And it was followed by Kelsie's sobs.

"Donavan, you finally came. I thought I was going to die... Weren't you far away? Did you come all this way just to save me?"

Donavan suddenly remembered that he hadn't hung up the phone.

He picked it up and said coldly to me, "Stop pretending. Isn't two stories enough for you to hide in? I've got things to do over here. Stop making a fuss. I'm hanging up."

As I waited for his response, the water reached my mouth.

There was no time to feel sad. I hurriedly told him not to hang up, and I begged him for help again.

The rescue boat seemed to jolt, and Kelsie screamed in fright.

Donavan finally lost all patience and yelled, "It's pouring rain, and I'm out on a mission. Don't you watch the news? Stop bothering me! If you need help, find the person responsible for that area! Kelsie's legs cramped while escaping, and I have to get her to the rescue station. I'm busy!"

As soon as he finished, a wave splashed against my face.

Just when I was about to lose all will to survive, Nathalia arrived in an inflatable boat and pulled me from the water.

Seeing the five rejected calls on my phone, she became furious.

She snatched the phone from me and sent a voice message screaming, "You call yourself a father? You don't even deserve to be a man! Even a dog would know to save its owner, but you're nothing but a beast! A divorce is necessary!"

With that, she threw the phone into the water.

The inflatable boat was deflating faster and faster, and I was writhing in pain.

Finally, Nathalia abandoned the boat and dragged me to the hospital, but she couldn't save her baby.