He Chose Her When I Was Drowning

Chapter 2

I stood where I was and stared at the face I knew better than anyone.

Was I really the one who always threw a tantrum?

During the three years we were together, Richard drank himself into a stomach hemorrhage from business dinners while building his company.

I stayed by his hospital bed for an entire month, worked during the day, kept watch through the night, and never complained once.

When his mother suffered a stroke and was left partially paralyzed, I quit my job and cared for her for six months.

I stayed until she could walk again with the help of a wall, and I never said a word about the sacrifice.

Yet now, he thought I was throwing a fit in the middle of a disaster.

The rain kept falling outside the tent.

I was so cold that my whole body had gone numb.

A medic carrying a bottle of disinfectant wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked past.

"It's stuffy in here. Open the flap and let some fresh air in."

I lowered my head and looked at myself.

My pant leg was covered in mud and blood.

However, the ground behind me showed no trace that I had ever walked across it.

Richard bent down, lifted Nina into his arms, and headed toward another resort that had escaped the flood.

I looked at my lower leg, which was slowly losing all feeling, and let out a bitter smile.

Then, I followed behind them, one painful step at a time, as though I were walking across invisible shards of stone.

"Richard, please turn around and look at me. My leg really hurts."

In the hallway of a guesthouse halfway up the mountain, Richard carried Nina into a suite that had survived with only minor damage.

It was the room we had booked to celebrate our third anniversary together.

The wildflowers I had arranged the day before were still sitting on the coffee table.

My cashmere scarf was still draped over the headboard.

Richard walked over and casually swept my things onto the floor.

Then, he gently laid Nina on the bed.

"Lie down and get some rest. I'll see if I can find some clean water," Richard spoke in a low, gentle voice.

I stood in the doorway, staring at the scarf lying on the floor.

Richard had given it to me for my birthday last winter.

He had smiled and said the color suited my skin perfectly.

Leaning against the pillow, Nina suddenly broke down, tears pouring down her face.

"Richard, I was so scared."

She clutched the blanket tightly, her shoulders trembling.

"When the mudslide came down, I thought I was going to die. All I could think about was how I never got the chance to tell you that I've never stopped loving you all these years."

Richard froze with the cup of water still in his hand.

He walked back to the bed, sat down beside her, and looked at her with conflicted eyes.

"It's all over now. You're safe."

Nina looked up at him, her eyes so red they looked almost transparent.

"Still, Giselle seems angry with me. You chose to save me instead of her. She must hate me."

"Why would she hate you?"

Richard's voice turned cold.

"I was the one who chose to save you first. She could take care of herself. Was I supposed to stand there and watch something happen to you? If she can't even understand that much, then I must have given her far too much credit over these past three years."

I stood at the foot of the bed and quietly listened as he passed judgment on me.

So, abandoning your own girlfriend to save someone else was what he called taking responsibility.

I looked at Richard.

Truth be told, I had always known that the woman he fell for first was Nina.

For all three years of high school, Nina was the school beauty.

There were enough boys chasing after her to fill the hallway.

Richard was just one face in the crowd.

However, Nina thought his family was too mediocre.

She turned around, accepted the student council president's confession, and casually introduced Richard to me instead.

"Giselle, Richard's a dependable guy. He's a better match for a quiet girl like you."

Those were Nina's exact words.

That was how Richard and I ended up together.

Over the next three years, he built his business from the ground up.

I stayed by his side, eating instant noodles with him in our tiny apartment and staying up late to help with the books.

Later, once the company was finally on solid ground, we had saved enough for a down payment and had even met each other's parents.

I thought time could heal anything.

I thought I had long since taken her place in his heart.

Then, six months ago, Nina broke up with her boyfriend and moved to our city.

From that day on, Richard crossed the line more and more.

When Nina moved, he was the first to help carry her things.

When she worked late, he brought her late-night meals.

Every time I asked about it, he answered with complete ease.

"She's all alone in this city. That was ancient history. I only see her as a friend. Giselle, can't you stop being so petty?"

The more open and innocent he acted, the deeper the c***k in my heart became.