Chapter 1

Audrey Vance froze in shock. Her hands slipped for a split second as she braced against the heavy debris, and a sharp pain tore through her lower abdomen.

Even through the pain, she tried to reassure herself. Maybe the man on the phone only sounded like her husband.

Everett Shaw was a search-and-rescue captain. He was usually too busy even to answer her messages.

When he did get a break, all he sent her were numbers.

1 meant he was safe.

2 meant he was coming home that day.

3 meant they would have sex.

Their chat history read more like a customer-service exchange than a conversation between husband and wife. There was no warmth in it at all.

Whenever Audrey wanted to protest, Everett's mother, Diane Shaw, would remind her that Everett was a hero out there saving lives. She should be more understanding.

Audrey had endured it for seven years.

The voices outside suddenly pulled her back to the present. Rubble shifted overhead, and a thin beam of light slipped through a gap.

"Captain! A beam's pinning both pregnant women! If we get one out first, the other could be buried alive!"

Audrey looked up and saw Everett's face through the opening.

"Everett..." she breathed.

Their eyes met, and shock flashed across his face.

"Captain, we're out of time! We have to choose one of them to save first!"

On the other side, Brielle Hart called softly through a sob, "Honey..."

Her voice was nearly drowned out by the roar of the machinery, but Everett heard her at once.

"Save her."

He pointed at Brielle, not Audrey.

A deafening crash shook the room.

The moment Brielle was pulled free, more rubble came crashing down on Audrey.

"Ah!"

Audrey screamed as excruciating pain tore through her swollen abdomen, as if an unseen hand were wrenching something inside her downward.

She felt warm blood slowly trickling down.

Then everything went black.

When Audrey opened her eyes again, she was lying in a hospital bed.

Her once-rounded belly was flat.

The doctor sighed.

"You still haven't been able to reach your family? Your abdomen was badly injured.

"We couldn't save the baby, and the damage to your uterus was severe. There's a strong possibility you may never be able to get pregnant again. You need someone here to take care of you."

Audrey remembered how decisively Everett had chosen Brielle. Something inside her slowly went cold.

She blinked back the sting in her eyes. "I don't have any family."

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look.

"Take care of yourself, then. Captain Shaw's wife was injured too. He asked every available doctor to go help care for her."

As the doctor walked away, Audrey heard a quiet mutter.

"Two pregnant women caught in the same disaster, and their luck couldn't be more different."

Audrey heard every word. Tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks.

She couldn't understand how the man she loved so deeply could betray her. When had Everett started another family behind her back?

The door opened.

Everett stepped inside and looked at Audrey's tear-streaked face. He swallowed.

"We can have another child. In a rescue, you save the person with the better chance of survival first. That's common sense. Don't make a scene."

A bitter smile touched Audrey's lips.

She had barely survived, and Everett hadn't even asked if she was in pain.

First, he told her they could have another child.

Then he told her not to make a scene.

Her heart ached so badly she could hardly breathe.

She looked up at him.

"Why did Brielle call you 'honey' like you're her husband?"

The moment she asked, Audrey caught a flash of wariness in Everett's eyes, as if he were afraid she might go after Brielle.

"Brielle is my late teammate's widow. She's been dealing with depression and has tried to take her own life several times, so..."

"So you went after her and kept her as your mistress?"

"She's not a mistress!"

It was the first time Everett had ever let his emotions show in front of Audrey, and it was to defend another woman.

Seeming to realize his tone had gone too far, Everett took a deep breath.

"Anyway, stay away from Brielle. Focus on getting better. I still have rescue work to do."

He turned and walked away.

Audrey's tears fell despite herself. "Everett, I want a divorce."

But Everett was already hurrying down the hall. He didn't even hear her ask for a divorce.

"Everett!"

Audrey threw back the covers, climbed out of bed, and followed him with one hand pressed over the wound on her lower abdomen.

Anger surged inside her.

Why was she always the one who had to give in?

Why wasn't she allowed to make a scene for once?

Everett hadn't gone far. He had stopped outside the room next to hers.