Chapter 1

When the earthquake hit, my first instinct was to run home.

But as soon as I reached the gate of our neighborhood, I heard my wife's voice coming from the thick bushes nearby.

I walked closer and saw her. She was completely lost in a moment of passion with her first love.

Jace Sterling was panting, teasing her. "Baby, don't you have earthquake PTSD? Let me help you get over it today."

Another aftershock hit. My wife's terrified screams were mixed with a breathless, aching tremble.

In that moment, my burning heart turned to ash.

It was finally time to let go.

1.

The aftershocks were frequent.

People on the street were running for their lives, hands over their heads. A crowd of panicked residents poured out from the luxury villas.

The street was a chaotic mess. No one had the energy to care about anyone else's business.

Except for me. I felt like I had been frozen in time.

I stood silently on the sidewalk, my eyes fixed on the two people moving rhythmically in the bushes.

If they had just lifted their heads, they would have seen me.

But minutes passed, and neither of them even looked up.

My heart sank deeper into an abyss. The world in front of me seemed to lose all its color.

"Luna, tell me... who's better? Me or your husband?"

Before they finished, Jace purposely pushed her buttons, making Luna Lawrence moan out loud.

Her eyes were blurry with lust as she gripped Jace's arms tightly. "You... you're so much better..."

Hearing her shaky answer, Jace let out a low chuckle and bit her shoulder.

Luna let out a sharp cry. Her fingernails turned pink from the sheer force of her grip.

My hands, hanging by my sides, clenched into tight fists. My jaw was locked so hard it creaked.

Just as I was about to rush forward and tear them apart, Jace suddenly looked up. His eyes, filled with raw desire, met mine.

He curled his lips into a smirk and spoke in a deep, mocking voice.

"Hold on tight, Luna. I'm about to take you to heaven."

Luna obediently wrapped her arms around his neck.

My legs, which had just started to move, froze. My eyes were bloodshot with rage.

A second later, the bushes went silent.

At the same time, the earth began to shake violently again.

Luna didn't even have time to clean herself up. She frantically pulled down her dress to cover her body and grabbed Jace's hand to flee.

Jace followed her with a smirk. As they brushed past me, he suddenly yanked Luna to a stop.

"Baby, your husband is right here. Aren't you going to say hello?"

Luna's body went rigid. she turned her head mechanically and finally realized I was standing there.

Her eyes darted around in panic. "F-Finn... when did you get here?"

I let out a cold laugh. My eyes stung as they turned red.

"I've been here for a while."

Luna took a quick glance at me, then went silent.

Jace, however, let out a snort.

"Finn, buddy, I don't think now is a good time for a chat, do you?"

Right after he spoke, another aftershock hit.

Luna shrieked. She grabbed Jace's hand and ran toward the open plaza.

She didn't even give me a second look.

I watched their retreating figures and let out a bitter, low laugh. Then, I turned and walked in the opposite direction.

As I entered the complex, a hand suddenly grabbed me.

I turned around to see Luna. Her face was cold, yet filled with a strange kind of anger.

"Finn Fletcher, are you trying to die? Don't you know there's an earthquake? Why are you running inside!"

She dragged me to an open area. Once we were safe, she slapped me right across the face.

"Finn, if I wasn't afraid your parents would cry themselves to death, I would never have come back for you!"

Looking at her furious face, I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Jace was busy rubbing her wrist. They both stared at me.

Luna looked disgusted.

Jace, on the other hand, kept giving me provocative looks.

I clenched my fists, forcing down the turmoil in my chest.

"Luna, don't you think you owe me an explanation for what you were just doing?"

Luna glanced at me, then coldly looked away.

"You know I have earthquake PTSD. As my husband, you weren't there for me when it started. Jace was the one who showed up and took care of me."

"You should be grateful to him, but instead, you're using this tone with me."

"Finn, you're honestly pathetic."

I'm pathetic?

Her words were the real joke!

As a member of the Civic Rescue Corp, I hadn't rushed to the disaster zone immediately. Instead, I had risked my life to find her.

She wasn't grateful. She didn't care.

Instead, she blamed her cheating on me.

There was nothing left to say. I turned around and walked away.