Chapter 3

3

The next morning, I was organizing my notes for the trip when Grayson woke up early.

He had a dark look on his face, waiting for me to apologize for the night before.

I ignored him completely, focusing on my files.

He couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed my wrist, his voice full of accusation.

"Elena, what is this? No laundry, no breakfast? Are you trying to starve me?"

I looked down at the heavy casts on my legs. Grayson's face paled slightly.

"I... I forgot," he stammered.

He could forget I was crippled by an earthquake in a fit of rage. He hadn't asked about my pain once.

If he could be that indifferent, so could I.

"Cindy's hurt too, remember? Why aren't you bringing her breakfast?" I asked.

That was his favorite ritual. He claimed she had a sensitive stomach, so he spent years hand-delivering gourmet meals to her.

Half of those meals had been prepared by me. Looking back, I realized how pathetic I had been.

Grayson stood there, stunned. "You'll regret this!" he shouted before slamming the door.

Regret? I felt lighter than I had in years.

I spent the afternoon reading and studying for my assignment.

Suddenly, I heard a commotion at the front door.

Grayson walked in with Cindy. They were carrying shopping bags and laughing as if they were on a date.

When Cindy saw me, she gave me a look of fake sympathy and covered her mouth.

"Oh, Elena! Your legs... it looks so bad. This is all my fault. If Grayson hadn't been so worried about me, you wouldn't be in this state."

She sounded like she was on the verge of tears, but her eyes were cold. Grayson immediately jumped to comfort her.

"It's just a minor injury, Cindy. It's not a big deal. In an emergency, you save who you can. Elena isn't that selfish, right?"

He looked at me, expecting me to agree and reassure his mistress.

Cindy gripped Grayson's arm, her body trembling slightly.

"It must hurt so much. Don't be scared, Elena. I'll make sure Grayson takes care of you. It's all his fault."

She playfully punched his shoulder. He didn't move; he just rubbed her head affectionately.

Watching them brought me back to the day of the earthquake.

We were about to leave the house when Cindy showed up, claiming she was too scared to be alone.

Grayson didn't even ask me. He just let her join us and changed our plans to suit her.

My hope for a romantic weekend was crushed, but the worst was yet to come.

She led us right into the zone where the tremors hit the hardest.

Within seconds, a stone pillar collapsed onto my legs. Blood was everywhere.

Cindy had a tiny scratch on her arm from a pebble. She wailed as if she were dying.

Grayson scooped her up instantly. I screamed his name, begging him to help me, but he never looked back.

The pain was blinding. I lay there in the dust, certain I was going to die alone.

If it hadn't been for a rescue team passing by, I wouldn't be here.

"Elena? What are you thinking about?" Cindy's high-pitched voice snapped me back to reality.

I looked her dead in the eye. "I was thinking about how much I didn't want to die. I'm lucky the paramedics found me, or I'd be a corpse right now."