Chapter 2

The roads were destroyed. Rescue vehicles couldn't get in, and we couldn't get out.

Talia couldn't be taken to a hospital. Our only hope was Jasper.

I chanted in my head, over and over: Kaelen, if you're angry with me, take it out on me. But please, don't abandon our son.

But he never came.

Suddenly, the rescue team set up a temporary wireless signal. Elara's phone finally worked.

She called over and over, but he kept hanging up.

When he finally answered, it was with a torrent of angry words. "Have you had enough? You keep calling me! Don't I have work to do? There are people here who need me!"

Elara wiped her tears. "Is your 'work' taking care of Cora Croft? If you don't get here soon, your daughter is going to die!"

Jasper just scoffed. "I told you that friend of yours was a bad influence. She's always whispering lies in my brother's ear, and now she's filling your head with nonsense too."

"I'm just helping Cora with a scratch! Can't you stop overreacting and listening to every crazy thing Aurora says?"

He hung up.

Elara just stood there, stunned.

I snatched the phone from her and dialed Jasper's number again, but he had turned it off.

So I called Kaelen.

"Didn't I have someone give you a message? I'm busy. I don't have time for this."

His words were like daggers, but for my son's sake, I had to be calm.

"Kaelen, please, you have to come. Carter is trapped under the rocks. We still haven't found him."

Suddenly, I heard another woman's voice on the line. Cora's.

"Kaelen, if you have an emergency, you should go. Jasper is here to take care of me."

Kaelen's voice softened. "It's fine. I'm staying right here with you. She's probably just overwhelmed with the volunteer work and wants me to help."

Cora chimed in. "Oh, is that it? Well, your wife is being quite unreasonable. She shouldn't have taken on something she couldn't handle."

My heart sank. It was clear Kaelen wasn't coming.

"Then please, tell Jasper that his daughter is unconscious. He's the only one who can save her. If he doesn't come, Talia might not make it."

On the other end of the line, Kaelen laughed.

"Did you hear that, Cora? First, she tries to trick me with Carter. Now she's trying to trick Jasper with Talia. She's just trying to get us to leave you."

"Women... so petty..."

He hung up again. After that, Elara and I gave up all hope.

Because just two minutes later, Talia stopped breathing.

The medic pronounced her dead at the scene.

My son's body was never found. Her daughter died without a doctor.

Our hearts, like the collapsed buildings around us, were reduced to rubble.