The floor bucked beneath my feet. The soup bowl shattered. The chandelier above us swung wildly, threatening to tear from the ceiling.

Cedric didn't hesitate. He grabbed Cassidy, pulling her close, shielding her with his body. He pressed her head against his chest.

I stood alone. Unsteady. Invisible. Just like when I'd stood at my parents' graveside. He hadn't been there then either.

The shaking stopped as abruptly as it began.

"Cassidy, are you hurt? Are you okay?" His voice was thick with concern. His hands ran over her, checking for injuries.

She clung to him, whimpering. "I'm fine, I think."

Then, almost as an afterthought, Cedric turned to me. "Eleanor? Are you... okay?" His eyes barely registered me.

"It was just instinct, Eleanor. Cassidy's on my team. My responsibility." He offered no apology. Only justification.

"You're not on my team, Eleanor. You just... live here." He shrugged. It was an explanation, not an excuse.

I said nothing. My eyes felt hollow. My face, I knew, was a mask.

I moved to the shattered glass. I picked up a piece, examining its jagged edge. I saw my reflection there. Distorted.

Then came the wail. The city's air raid siren. A guttural scream that echoed through the streets.

Cedric's comms device blared to life. "Hopkins, report! Chemical plant disaster! All units deploy!"

He was already moving. He grabbed his gear, his face grim. "Cassidy, stay safe. Keep your head down."

"I'm coming with you." My voice was flat. Firm.

He paused, looking at me as I rose from the floor. My movements were fluid. Effortless. Despite the tremor, despite the shattered glass, I moved with a grace he had never seen.

He scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Eleanor. You'll just get in the way. This isn't your world."

"It is now." My eyes met his. There was no softness there. No meekness.

Cassidy, ever the strategist, put a hand on Cedric's arm. "Maybe she can help, Cedric. We need all hands on deck." She gave me a tight, fake smile.

He hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But stay behind me. Don't touch anything."

The disaster zone was chaos. Twisted metal. Smoke. The acrid smell of chemicals burned my nostrils. Bodies lay scattered.

Cassidy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She swayed. The raw brutality of it all was too much for her.

She stumbled forward, burying her face in Cedric's chest. He wrapped an arm around her, comforting her. "It's okay, Cass. Just breathe."

He looked over her shoulder, his eyes meeting mine. "See, Eleanor? This isn't where you belong. You're too fragile for this."

I didn't answer. I didn't flinch. I just moved.

I moved through the wreckage. My hands, once accustomed to kneading dough, now lifted debris. My eyes, once scanning recipes, now spotted survivors. I worked with a quiet efficiency. I had been trained for this. Not in a soft kitchen, but in real battlefields. My father had seen to that, long before Cedric.

"She's a natural," I heard a medic say to a firefighter. "Quick thinking."

Cassidy watched me. Her eyes narrowed. A sharp glint of resentment.

She walked over, holding out a water bottle. "Here, Eleanor. You look thirsty." Her voice was sickly sweet.

I ignored her. My focus was on a trapped child. The child's cries were faint.

"Eleanor!" Her voice was sharp now. Impatient.

I didn't turn. My hands were already digging. Fast.

Her furious sigh was loud. I felt the cold water hit my back. It soaked through my shirt.

The cold water hit my back. It soaked through my shirt.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Cassidy cried out. Her voice was too loud. Too dramatic. "I tripped!"

Then she collapsed onto the ground, clutching her ankle. "Eleanor pushed me! She's so angry!" She wailed.

Cedric was there in an instant. He pushed me aside. Hard. "What did you do, Eleanor?" His face was a mask of fury.

My side slammed against a jagged piece of metal. A sharp pain shot through me. I barely noticed.

He knelt beside Cassidy, cradling her. He didn't look at me. Not once. "Are you okay, Cass? Did she hurt you?"

He looked up, his eyes blazing. "You always do this, Eleanor! You're so volatile! Why can't you just control yourself?"

He stood. He grabbed my arm. He shoved me. I stumbled, falling onto my hands and knees in the debris.

"She's my partner! My teammate!" Cedric's voice was a roar. "You apologize to her. Now!"

I looked at him. My vision blurred. The world felt distant. Then a cold, hard laugh escaped my lips.

I moved before he could react. I sprang up. My hand shot out. I grabbed Cassidy's hair. I slammed her head back against the ground. Hard. My other hand delivered a sharp, stinging slap across her face.

"You pathetic snake!" My voice was raw. Filled with years of suppressed fury. "You think I don't see you? You think I don't know your games?"

I held her there, her eyes wide with shock and fear. "Do you enjoy spilling blood? Do you enjoy watching others suffer?"

Then I let go. I didn't wait for a response. I didn't wait for Cedric. I turned. I ran back into the heart of the disaster zone.

The ground shuddered again. A low rumble. "Earthquake!" someone screamed. "Aftershock!"

A massive concrete slab, weakened by the initial blast, groaned above me. It tore free. It crashed down. It sealed off most of the exits. Only a narrow passage remained.

"Everyone out! Now!" A frantic voice shouted from outside. "It's collapsing!"

Cassidy was closer to the narrow opening. Her eyes darted to it. A primal fear flashed across her face.

"Cassidy! Get out!" Cedric's voice boomed. "Go! Now!"

"What about Eleanor?" one of his teammates called out. "She's still inside!"

Cedric paused. Just for a second. A heartbeat. Then his voice, cold and dismissive, sliced through the air. "Forget her. She' s useless. A dead weight. We have to save the important ones."

A wave of crimson washed over my vision. The smell of fear, of dust, of my own blood.

I watched, numb, as Cassidy was pulled through the narrow gap. Cedric was there. He checked her over. His relief was palpable.

A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips.

My body moved on instinct. Years of training took over. I saw a precarious wall. A desperate jump. I launched myself forward.

The impact was brutal. Pain flared through my body. The world spun.

My last sight was Cedric. He was holding Cassidy. His back was to me.

Then darkness.

Cedric's comms device crackled. "Hopkins! Urgent intel! The 'Falcon' protocol has been activated! Eleanor Curry is the Curry Group heiress! She's unaccounted for in the disaster zone!"

I opened my eyes to the fluorescent glare of a field hospital. The smell of antiseptic stung my nose.

"You're a tough one, honey," a nurse said, her voice kind. "Most people wouldn't have survived that collapse. You must have a guardian angel." She patted my arm gently.

She held out a clipboard. "Can you fill out your information for us? Just basic details."

"My husband?" My voice was raspy. It felt alien. "Cedric Hopkins?"

The nurse frowned. "Oh, he was here. But he left a few hours ago. Said he had an urgent mission with his teammate, Cassidy. They seemed very dedicated."

A cold laugh bubbled up in my throat. Dedicated. Yes. Dedicated to leaving me for dead.

I would finalize it now. The divorce. No more delays. No more second chances.

My phone, miraculously, had survived. A message from Cassidy. A picture. Her and Cedric. Smiling. His arm around her. The caption: "Some people just know how to appreciate what they have."

My entire body screamed in protest. Every bruised muscle, every torn ligament, every raw nerve ending. It felt like my skin was being flayed.

I raised my trembling hand. I wiped the drying blood from my forehead.

I picked up the pen. "Marital Status," the form read. I checked "Single."

The nurse, who had been busy with another patient, glanced over. "Oh, dear. Are you sure? You just mentioned your husband." Her eyebrows were raised.

I met her gaze. My lips curled into a cold smile. "I'm sure. I'm getting a divorce."

The door burst open. Cedric stood there. His face was pale. His eyes, wide with disbelief, stared at me.

The nurse, startled, quickly excused herself. She left us alone in the small, curtained off space.

His eyes fell on my face. The deep crimson bruise on my temple. The angry red scratches across my cheek. His breath hitched.

"Eleanor… your face. What happened?" His voice was a strained whisper.

I didn't answer. I just watched him.

He took a step closer. "When I left… you were okay. They said you were fine." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"It was an emergency, Eleanor. Cassidy was... she was right there. I had to protect her. It was instinct." He reached for my hand.

I flinched. He pulled his hand back as if burned.

"Please, Eleanor. Try to understand. It was chaos. We didn't know what was happening." His voice was pleading. Desperate.

My body screamed. The raw, searing pain lanced through me. I raised my hand. I slapped him. Hard.