Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When the flash flood hit, my rescue captain husband stood frozen between me and his first love, torn with indecision.

Without a second thought, I shoved the only life ring straight into his first love's hands.

In my previous life, Dexter had handed that life ring to me, choosing to stay behind and drown with Josie.

Just as they were on the verge of suffocating, a backup team arrived and revived him, while Josie drowned in the murky water.

After that tragedy, Dexter lived with me like a devoted husband, pampering me in every possible way.

I genuinely believed the disaster had made him cherish our marriage.

I never imagined he would walk into my hospital room years later and pull the plug on my oxygen tank.

"If you hadn't insisted on taking time off to come home that day, I wouldn't have had to choose. She wouldn't have died!"

"Now, go down to hell and beg for her forgiveness!"

Weak and helpless, I could only watch the world fade to black as I suffocated.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the flood broke out.

……

"Everyone stay calm! Follow the rescue team's orders and board the boats in an orderly line!"

Hearing that familiar megaphone announcement, I looked down at my trembling, living hands.

Thank God. I had actually been given a second chance at life.

Suddenly, I felt a tight grip on my wrist.

I instinctively yanked back and met the sharp glare of Dexter's first love, Josie Albright.

She frowned at me and demanded arrogantly.

"I'm pregnant. If there's only one spot left on the boat, you're letting me go first."

I let out a cold laugh and rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm a stranded victim too. Why the hell should you get priority? Your baby is none of my business."

Josie stared at me in disbelief before snapping back.

"If you hadn't insisted on rushing home today, I would've already been rescued!"

"Dexter and I are completely innocent, but you're always paranoid and making up disgusting assumptions. Now boats are scarce, and there might be one less seat because of you!"

She clamped her fingers down on my arm, terrified that I would scramble onto the rescue boat ahead of her.

The two of us were trapped on the second-floor balcony, watching the murky water rise as we waited for help.

Looking at her claw-like grip on my wrist, a wave of bitter irony washed over me.

To think I was reborn at this exact moment.

In my past life, I heard while at work that Dexter had brought Josie to our house, claiming she needed a place to stay for a few days.

Knowing he had never truly gotten over his college sweetheart, I rushed home on emergency leave to stop them, only to be trapped by the raging flood.

Dexter had steered a motorized rescue raft over to save us, but the current was too violent. The only way to board was by catching a thrown life ring tied to a winch.

In that critical moment, Dexter threw the life ring to me.

"Live a good life for me, Hazel. Go see the rest of the world."

Then, he dove into the swirling waters to drown alongside Josie.

"Josie, dying together in this lifetime is its own kind of happiness."

What he didn't expect was that only Josie died, while his teammates pulled him out just in time.

Later, when I was bedridden and relying on supplemental oxygen, Dexter seized a moment when the nurses stepped out to rip off my mask.

A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the agonizing terror of suffocating.

He was the one who ignored my boundaries and brought Josie into our home. He was the one who chose to save me and threw himself into the water for his lover. Yet in the end, it was all blamed on me!

Why should I have had to pay for Josie's life with my own?