Chapter 1
The moment the flash flood tore through the resort, I shoved my best friend onto the only rooftop the water had not reached.
After I dragged myself out of the mudslide, I heard Richard Leroy in the distance, down on his knees in the mud, screaming for help.
Just as I was about to walk over, a rescue helicopter lowered a rope ladder, and a voice blared through the loudspeaker.
"The helicopter can't carry too much weight. We can only take one of the two girls first!"
My boyfriend snatched the rescue line and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Save Nina! Please! Her health is fragile. She won't last much longer!"
Hearing that, I quietly closed my mouth before I could say a word.
Nina Moran jumped down, ran right past me, and rushed toward him.
"Richard!" she cried. "I'm here! I'm okay!"
Richard spun around and pulled Nina tightly into his arms.
"Thank God! I thought I'd never see you again..."
From beginning to end, his eyes never once landed on me standing behind Nina.
It was not until one of the search and rescue workers walked over, handed me a tissue, and gently asked, "Miss, is there any family here to pick you up?"
I looked at the two of them holding each other as if no one else existed, then forced a faint smile.
"No," I replied softly. "I came here by myself."
......
"Doctor, please, come take a look at her! She's not in good health, and she was caught in the rain for hours. Please, see her first!"
Inside the temporary medical station, Richard's voice shook with panic.
He carried Nina, who was soaked from head to toe, in his arms, pushed straight through the waiting crowd, and rushed to the triage desk.
The nurse frowned, checked Nina's pulse, then gently lifted her eyelids for a closer look.
"Sir, please try to relax. Her vital signs are stable. Go get a blanket over there and keep her warm. She just needs a little time to recover."
"Her vital signs are stable?"
Richard's voice shot up.
"She was out in the rain for hours! What if something happens to her? Are you going to take responsibility? I want a full-body examination for her, right now."
The nurse looked at him helplessly, then pointed toward an elderly man lying on a stretcher behind her, covered in blood and mud.
"Sir, this is a disaster relief station. Every bed could mean saving a life. Please leave medical resources for the critically injured."
"Richard, I'm really okay."
Curled up against his chest, Nina spoke through tears.
"When the mudslide came crashing down, I thought I'd never see you again."
Richard's eyes reddened.
He pulled her even closer and gently brushed the mud from her face with his thumb.
"Don't be scared," he murmured. "It's over now. I'm here."
I stood less than two steps behind them.
Blood kept seeping from my left leg below the knee.
The instant the mountainside gave way, I had pulled Nina onto the rooftop.
A falling log had slammed into my leg instead.
The bone was probably cracked.
Every second I stayed on my feet felt like I was standing on a bed of knives.
I reached out, wanting to grab the corner of Richard's jacket.
"Richard, my leg really hurts."
I spoke softly.
Just as my fingertips were about to touch his coat, he turned around to take the blanket the nurse handed him.
My hand hung there in midair.
Richard carefully wrapped Nina from head to toe in the blanket, then pulled out his phone.
The call connected.
It was one of his friends.
"Richard, are you and Giselle okay? I saw the news saying there was a disaster in the mountain area where you were."
As Richard gently wiped the mud from Nina's face, he answered, "We're fine. Nina got a bit of a scare."
"What about Giselle? Isn't she with you?"
"Her?"
Richard's voice cooled, and the impatience in it was impossible to miss.
"She grew up in the mountains. She even won mountain climbing competitions. A landslide like this is nothing to her. When the rescue team asked who to airlift first, I told them to take Nina. She's probably upset about it and went off to sulk somewhere."
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.
"She's upset? At a time like this? What's she making a fuss about?"
"Who knows what she's upset about this time?"
Richard tossed the used towel into the laundry bin, his voice as flat as still water.
"She's always been spoiled. The tiniest thing sets her off. This time I'm not giving in. Just leave her alone. Once she's done throwing her little tantrum, she'll come back on her own."
