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.

Cedric stared at me, his cheek red. He was stunned.

His eyes flickered to my bruised face. The anger in his eyes faded, replaced by something I couldn't quite read. He took a deep breath.

"If that makes you feel better, Eleanor." His voice was quiet. "If that's what you need to move past this."

He reached out. His fingers brushed against my temples, tracing the dark bruise. "Are you still angry, Ella?"

"No," I said. My voice was calm. Flat. "I'm not angry."

A sigh of relief escaped him. "Good. That's good." He even smiled a little. "I knew you'd understand."

For the next few days, Cedric was a model husband. He brought me flowers. He sat by my bedside. He fetched me water. He read me stories.

"You have such a wonderful husband," the doctor remarked, smiling warmly at Cedric. "Always here. So attentive."

Cedric puffed out his chest, a proud flush on his cheeks. "I learned from the best. My Eleanor taught me how to be a good partner." He squeezed my hand.

I watched him. My lips curved into a tiny, humorless smile. I didn't correct him. What was the point?

He leaned over. He gently massaged my temples, his fingers soft against my skin. "Still a bit of a headache, my love?"

He stood up. He carefully draped a blanket over my legs. He was still performing.

Then the door burst open. A frantic nurse stood there. "Mr. Hopkins! It's Cassidy Caldwell! She's bleeding! She needs a transfusion! Now!"

Cedric was on his feet in an instant. He was already halfway out the door. He didn't even look back.

He stopped. His eyes met mine. I was watching him. My smile was still there. Cold. Unmoving.

He hesitated. He took a step back into the room. "Her injuries are severe, Eleanor. She needs me." His voice was defensive. Almost angry.

Then he was gone. The door swung shut behind him.

That night, my bandages felt too tight. My skin burned. The pain in my side flared. I drifted in and out of consciousness. The nurse said it was a fever. From infection.

The door creaked open again. It was late. Cedric stood there. His shadow stretched long and distorted across the floor.

"Eleanor," he whispered. "They need your blood. Cassidy's blood type is rare. Yours matches."

My hand, resting on the bed, clenched into a fist. The sheet crumpled in my grip.

He came closer. He sat on the edge of my bed. "Please, Ella. Just a little. For Cassidy. She saved my life once, you know." His voice was soft. Begging.