An earthquake struck suddenly during our honeymoon. I suggested that we flee immediately.

My husband’s former lover mocked me for being cowardly and paranoid. So, my husband dismissed my fears.

I had no choice but to continue sightseeing with them.

A fractured steel frame crashed down with an earsplitting clang and smashed into his former lover.

She clung to me desperately as the rebars drove into my ribs one by one.

Before I could cry out, my husband kicked me down when he saw his former lover in danger.

“You wretch! If you hadn’t suggested this honeymoon spot, Lena wouldn’t have gotten hurt!

“You knew there’d be an earthquake today. You did this on purpose!”

The rebars pierced deeper into my ribs and made every breath I took excruciatingly painful.

My husband pushed me aside, lifted his former lover into his arms, and stormed off without glancing back.

“Before the aftershock hits, I’m taking Lena to the hospital! Then, I’ll call for rescue.

“Stay here and reflect on your actions. This is your punishment for scheming against Lena!”

I waited all night.

He did not know that the torrential rains of the monsoon season had flooded the area. What awaited him was the bloated corpse of a pregnant woman.

Lamont Steward rushed into the hospital clutching an unconscious Lena Hayes. He was soaked to the bone and on the verge of collapse.

“She was critically injured in the earthquake! Quick! Get her into surgery now!”

He stumbled from department to department and knocked on doors to find a doctor. He even kneeled before them.

The grown man wept pitifully and desperately pleaded in utter humility.

Everyone present sighed in sympathy. Their hearts went out for Lena—the woman in his arms.

Doctors and nurses rushed Lena into the operating room.

Lamont stood outside the door. His face was etched with worry and anxiety, as he muttered prayers to the gods to save her.

Usually cool and composed, he took off the rosary he had worn for nearly thirty years and clutched it tightly, hoping his first love could be saved.

Had the nurses not held him back, he would have pressed himself against the operating room door to watch the surgery.

The light outside the operating room had barely flickered on before it went dark again.

The door opened.

Lena was wheeled out on a hospital bed. The lead surgeon hesitated as though he wanted to say something.

“Done so soon?

“Doctor, was the surgery successful? Is she okay?”

Lamont rushed forward in panic as he held the doctor’s hand in a death grip. His voice faltered.

The doctor patted Lamont on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, young man. Your girlfriend is perfectly fine. Just a bit shaken.”

Lamont froze.

“But... but she passed out! Was the examination not thorough enough?

“I was right beside her when I saw that slab of concrete and rebar fall and hit her—”

The doctor cut him off.

“Your girlfriend doesn’t have a single scratch on her body.”

Lamont froze and stammered in protest, “That’s impossible! I saw it with my own eyes! Doctor, please, re-examine her…”

The doctor grew impatient with Lamont’s pleading.

“We’ve examined her inside and out. She just fainted from fright. She can leave after resting for a bit.”

Learning that Lena was completely unharmed, Lemont patted his chest in relief as tears of joy streamed down his face.

“As long as she’s okay, I don’t care about anything else! Thank you, Doctor. I’ll go see her now!”

As the doctor watched Lamont, who was nearly thirty, dash into Lena’s hospital room with the excitement of a youngster, he smiled helplessly. He shook his head and returned to his office.

“Young people these days... I do envy that kind of love.”

In the hospital room, Lena slowly regained consciousness.

Seeing Lamont sitting by her bedside, she sobbed and threw herself into his arms.

“Lamont, I thought I’d never see you again! I was so scared!”

Lamont pulled Lena tightly into his arms and stroked her back.

“It’s okay now. It’s okay.

“You just passed out, you silly girl. You scared me!”

Lena cried for a long while as she buried herself in Lamont’s embrace. Suddenly, she remembered something and wiped her tears away.

“Serena! Lamont, is Serena still trapped under the rubble?!

“She’s your newlywed wife, after all. We have to go and save her!”

After lingering in tenderness, they finally remembered someone else was still trapped beneath the rubble: me, impaled on a rebar.

At the mention of my name, Lamont’s expression instantly turned icy.

“Lena, you truly have the heart of a saint!

“I believe tonight was all part of Serena Dallas’s scheme. She knew about the earthquake and wanted to use it to get rid of you!

“She’s consumed by jealousy and can’t tolerate any woman by my side!”

Lamont had already convinced himself that I was a malicious woman. He had never once considered that if I had the ability to predict earthquakes, my future would have been very different indeed.

“It’s also because of your kind heart that the Lord protected you and let you escape the earthquake unscathed!”

I laughed bitterly. ‘Kind-hearted? Protected by the Lord?’

If she had not pulled me in front of her to block those falling rebars, would she have emerged completely unharmed?

“But...”

A sharp gleam flashed in Lena’s eyes.

Lamont smiled as he slipped off the rosary and put them on Lena.

“There’s no ‘but’ about it!

“This rosary has been with me since childhood. They’re blessed and will protect you.

“It’s thanks to them that you’re safe and sound today!”

Lamont gently helped Lena back into bed.

“Just rest. As for Serena, I’ll call the rescue team later.

“Don’t worry. She won’t die.

“She deserves to be taught a lesson for being so ungrateful. If she does die, it’ll be her own fault for crossing the wrong people!”

Lamont blew on the hot soup, tested its temperature, and fed a spoonful to Lena.

“Besides, this was her trap all along!

“She must have planned her escape. Once she’s out, I’ll make her kneel before you and beg for forgiveness!”

Lena closed her eyes in satisfaction as she enjoyed Lamont’s attentive care.

Lamont fed her, and they flirted with each other unabashedly. He made a grand show of fetching water and borrowing clothes from the hospital to bathe Lena and change her into fresh garments.

The entire hospital knew that a pair of devoted lovers who had escaped the earthquake had checked into the inpatient ward.

With limited rooms available and at Lena’s gentle and indirect invitation, they slept in each other’s arms that night, just like a real couple.

No one knew Lamont’s newlywed wife was still buried under the earthquake rubble, impaled by a rebar, with blood flowing like a river.

When I regained consciousness, I found my soul floating at the door of Lena's ward.

Seeing Lena sleeping peacefully in Lamont’s arms, my heart twisted in agony, and my rage boiled over.

Lamont pursued me for five years before I finally agreed to be with him.

I believed that after chasing me for so long, he must love me as much as his own life.

Little did I know that the moment Lena was divorced, his true colors would be revealed.

His first love, Lena, only needed to stand before him to outshine me.

Early the next morning, Lena pouted and convinced Lamont into arranging her discharge papers from the hospital.

Last night, Lamont had carried Lena in his arms and ran frantically. They hitched a ride and ended up here after a long journey.

Nearby was a famous tourist spot. It was packed with people.

Amidst the laughter and cheer, Lamont affectionately ruffled Lena’s hair.

“Since we’re already here, why not stay and enjoy ourselves?”

“Let’s consider it... a celebration of our narrow escape. I’ll go buy the tickets.”

Lena clearly wanted to explore too.

“But the tickets are kind of pricey. They are $300 each!”

She looked at Lamont timidly as she shivered in the cold wind.

Lamont quickly wrapped his arms around her, pinched her nose, and warmed her hands.

“Silly girl, if you want to have fun, don’t worry about $300. I’d go with you even if it cost $30,000!”

Hovering in the air, I listened in shock.

During our relationship, whenever I spent even a little money, he would call me vain and lavish, even if that money was my own.

He never gave me gifts for holidays either.

On our first anniversary, we went on our first trip together.

When we passed a scenic spot, I pouted and said I wanted to check it out.

For a $20 admission fee, he berated me in the street while pointing at my face.

“What’s the point of going there? Isn’t $20 still a lot of money?!

“Serena, how can you be so wasteful? You’d better be saving money. Money grows when you save it!”

He shoved me roughly to the ground.

A glass ornament fell from my pocket and shattered.

Lamont saw it and stomped on it viciously. Then, he stormed off.

“Let’s just break up! If you get even a little bit of money, you waste it on useless trinkets. Aren’t you too old to be acting so childish?

“You make me sick!”

Through tear-filled eyes, I stared at the shattered ornament. It revealed a corner of a photograph.

This was my anniversary gift to him. It had taken almost half a year to craft it.

I poured my heart into it. I had hidden our first photo together inside it.

I stared at the photo he had stomped on as tears streamed down my face.

When I watched Lamont and Lena buying park tickets arm-in-arm, my heart ached but no tears emerged from my eyes.

Lena suddenly slapped her forehead.

“Lamont, have you contacted Serena? She can’t still be trapped in the rubble, can she? That could be deadly!”

Lamont sighed in annoyance.

“Lena, you’re just too kind!

“What’s so great about Serena that you worry about her so much?

“If she hadn’t set us up, would we have ended up fleeing to this place in such a mess yesterday?

“I hope that someone has died!

“A venomous woman like her deserves to rot in filth!

“Come on, let’s go have some fun and relax. Don’t let that parasite ruin our mood!”

“Lamont, calm down. I’m worried about Serena. She is your wife, after all. I care about you, so I care about her…”

Lena suddenly stopped talking, yanked Lamont’s collar down, and pressed her lips against his.

During the passionate kiss, she clung desperately to his neck, as if trying to merge herself into his body.

Lamont pushed her away with a complicated look on his face.

“Lena, I have a wife! We can’t do this!”

Lena lowered her head shyly.

“I’m sorry, Lamont. I just couldn’t hold myself back.”

Lost in their passion, they had completely forgotten about me, who was still trapped beneath the rebars.

This was not supposed to happen to me at all. It was Lena’s quick actions that dragged me in to be her shield!

When the quake first hit, I had warned them to evacuate immediately.

While other tourists scrambled for safety, the two of them strolled along as if touring their own backyard. They dismissed my concerns as an overreaction.

They lived carelessly, yet it was my life that had ended.

The steel rebars pierced through my chest.

The blood froze onto the rebars. Every breath felt like my body was being sliced open.

I desperately reached for my phone and called Lamont repeatedly until my battery died. He never answered even one call.

Lamont pulled out his phone to buy the tickets. When he unlocked it, there were dozens of missed calls.

They were from me.

Lamont frowned, grumbled, and showed the phone to Lena.

“And you were so worried about her!

“Look at this! She’s got plenty of time to call me! Calling this many times in one night? I’m impressed!

“Good thing I turned my phone off last night. Otherwise, she’d have driven me crazy!”

Lena checked the screen and smiled sheepishly.

“The call log shows that Serena didn’t call after 5 a.m. She must’ve been rescued. Should we call to check in on her?”

“Definitely!

“You know what? She’s probably already snoring away in the hotel!

“She can’t even send a text to say she’s safe. She’s an adult, yet she doesn’t know her manners!”

Lamont rolled his eyes and dialed her number.

After ringing over a dozen times, the call disconnected automatically.

“How dare she not answer?”

Lamont grumbled, but his expression betrayed a hint of panic.

“Forget it. Let’s call the hotel and see if she’s returned.”

The hotel line connected quickly.

“Hello? Has the woman in Room 1401 returned yet?”

Lamont waited anxiously for the person on the other end to check.

“Well, Mr. Steward, there was indeed a lady who...”

Lamont hung up impatiently and flashed a smile at Lena.

“See? I told you she returned to the hotel to sleep!

“She’s perfectly fine! Yet, she had you worrying about her all this time! When I get back, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind!”

I let out a cold laugh.

Someone did go to the hotel in the early hours, but it was not me.

It was my best friend.

I asked her to go ahead and set it up to celebrate my wedding with Lamont.

I had meticulously created a short video. It captured every moment of our relationship.

I had even splurged on a custom ice sculpture. It was carved to resemble him and me.

I secretly used my savings to buy the car he loved. I intended it as a wedding gift.

I had envisioned him tearing up with emotion upon seeing the surprises I had planned for him.

However, reality dealt me a crushing blow.

Lena let out a sigh of relief.

“Now that we know that Serena is safe, I can finally relax and enjoy myself!

“Lamont, I want to eat that!”

Lena tugged Lamont along as they weaved through the stalls.

The ice sculpture placed in the hotel was slowly melting away.

At the sight of Lamont and Lena’s affectionate display, my heart grew icy.

In the evening, Lamont took Lena back to the hotel.

He swiped his key card to open the door, only to find the room empty.

All that remained was the ice sculpture and some floral decorations. The ice had melted, and the water pooled on the floor.

The flowers had also withered completely by that point.

“Serena? What the heck are you playing at? Get out here!”

No one answered.

Lamont tried calling me again, but my phone was off.

“Where did you go?”

Lamont frowned. Suddenly, a warm, soft body pressed against him.

Lena leaned in to look at his phone.

“Don’t worry, Lamont.

“If the front desk said Serena came back, she must be fine.

“She probably just stepped out for something.”

Lamont lowered his head to stare at his former lover’s face that was mere inches away from his. His ears flushed crimson.

Lena raised her hand and gently caressed Lamont’s cheek.

“Lamont, you still like me, right?

“Back then, I had no choice but to break up with you. Now, I want to ask you something. How about we…”

Lamont recoiled as if he was electrocuted.

Lena paused, and her eyes lowered in disappointment.

“Never mind, Lamont. After five years of dating, you and Serena are finally together. How could I...

“You two are a perfect match.”

Her words instantly provoked Lamont. He slammed his fist hard against the wall.

“Perfect match, my foot!

“She’s not right for me at all! All she cares about is her work, you know?

“Lena, Serena keeps saying how much she loves me, but every time she has to choose between me and her job, she always picks her job!”

“I watch her drink with male clients and stay out all night. Yet, I can’t do anything about it!

“Where do you think her success and status comes from? It’s all from sleeping her way to the top!

“Every time I bring this up, she argues with me. Seeing her makes me sick!”

I was shaking with rage.

I fought with him because he did not believe me. I had never done anything to betray him!

“A client of Serena’s asked to meet me the other day and gave me a USB drive.

“Do you know what was on it?

“It was freaking full of intimate photos of Serena with all kinds of men. She’s a shameless woman who stops at nothing for money and fame!”

I froze.

Over the years, I always kept a distance from the clients because I had a boyfriend.

To assure him, I had always been transparent about my chat records and bank statements. Yet, he still did not trust me!

I wanted to grab him by the collar and demand answers about those so-called “intimate photos.”

At that moment, Lena embraced Lamont who was emotionally distraught and comforted him gently.

Lamont, who was feeling vulnerable, did not resist either. He leaned onto her shoulder.

The next day, the housekeeper came to tidy the guest room.

Lamont had been watching TV while he held Lena close. His gaze fell on the bracelet on the housekeeper’s wrist, and he snapped back to reality.

He jumped to his feet and grabbed the cleaner’s wrist to inspect it. My initials were engraved on the inside of it.

“This isn’t yours! Where did you steal it from?!”

This bracelet was mine. It was a keepsake from my late mother. I treasured it and never let anyone touch it.

Back then, even when Lamont told me to take it off and let him see it, I refused without hesitation.

The cleaner shook her head frantically.

“I didn’t steal it!

“My son found it! He picked it up from a dead person’s hand while visiting Emerald Hills a few days ago!

“Seeing how valuable it was, I... I kept it for myself.”

Lamont’s eyes narrowed in fury.

“You’re lying!

“This belonged to my wife! To her, this bracelet was more precious than her own life. She never took it off!

“If it were lost, she’d never rest in…”

Lamont’s words died in his throat.

He was silent for a long moment before he found his voice again.

“What did you say? Found it in whose hands?”

He shook the housekeeper’s shoulders violently. Tears streamed down his face, and he was unable to utter another word.

“You’re lying to me!

“Tell me! You’re lying, aren’t you? You stole it from the guest room, right?”

It did not matter that Lamont refused to believe it. He knew that as long as I was alive, I would never part with that bracelet.