Chapter 1

"We've lost all contact with the researchers at the experimental site. If we rush in now, we'll just end up interfering with the rescue team!"

Last night's storm caused a landslide at the experimental site below the research institute. Still, at this morning's meeting, Leonard Jacoby insisted on transferring me to guard the experimental field.

His tone left no room for debate. "This experiment represents ten years of the institute's work. We're on the verge of a breakthrough. We need someone to secure the site."

I saw right through his excuse. The real reason? His true love, Selene Latham, was among the victims this time. He feared for her safety and wanted to bring her back.

Leonard and I had been together for eight years. And now, after all this time, I was holding their wedding invitation.

My mind went totally blank. It felt like something inside me just shattered. It had been over ten years since they'd broken up, so how was this possible?

A coworker pulled me aside two days ago and whispered that she'd seen Leonard working on some kind of proposal. She told me to play dumb.

My heart skipped a beat when I realized he hadn't said a word to me about it. Finally, I thought. He was actually planning a surprise for once.

But now, every single wedding invitation bore Leonard's and Selene's names. They'd sent them to everyone, every department, without exception.

I'd been completely blindsided. Not just once, but twice in the same damn day. What a fool I'd been.

I searched everywhere for Leonard, determined to get answers. After questioning a few coworkers, I found myself outside the sealed-off breakroom.

"Don't worry about her. She's tougher than you. It's just some agricultural support program, not a death sentence."

My hand hung frozen in midair, shaking slightly.

Selene and I were the institute's best agricultural researchers. Six months ago, the company sent her to the rural area to help with the agricultural support program, where she worked in the experimental field.

But now, with disaster looming, Leonard was trying to swap me out to get her back.

I stood outside the door, the world tilting around me as my thoughts twisted into knots.

I didn't storm into the breakroom to demand explanations. I barely even noticed my coworkers' curious stares. Moving on autopilot, I left the office and dragged myself home.

I was barely paying attention when I unlocked my phone, but the news alert grabbed me immediately. "Researcher's Boyfriend Leads Rescue Effort After Landslide at Experimental Field."

I tapped the link before I could stop myself. The page loaded, and there was Leonard, leading the rescue team.

Without tools, he clawed at the fallen rocks with his bare hands. He had no idea how long he'd been digging when blood started dripping from his arms, staining the dirt. His eyes were filled with despair.

After he pulled Selene from the wreckage, they clung to each other, smiling with tears of relief. Battered by disaster, covered in dirt and blood, they still burned with happiness so fierce it almost hurt to see.

The comments section was overflowing with envy. Everyone was practically glowing from the romance in the air.

"I'm tearing up over here! This is probably love at its finest!"

"Nothing reveals true character like a disaster. You see who people really are when everything falls apart!"

"Surviving hell makes you appreciate what really matters. I hope they stay happy together forever!"