Chapter 3

The sky gradually brightened, and the rain finally began to ease.

The water level started to recede slowly.

More and more survivors arrived at the shelter, filling it with cries of relief and grief.

Gavin hadn’t slept all night, and dark stubble covered his chin.

He was arranging the day’s rescue operations.

“Today’s priorities are pumping out the water and clearing the mud.”

He pointed to several locations on the map.

“Send both high-powered pumps to Building Five first.”

Jack voiced an objection.

“Mr. Cooper, Building Five is on higher ground, so the flooding isn’t serious there.”

“Building Three is in the lowest area, and the first floor is still underwater. We should pump the water out of Building Three first.”

Gavin didn’t even look up as he refuted him.

“Building Five may be on higher ground, but important community records are stored in its basement.

“Wendy also has many belongings left by her late husband in her home. If they’re ruined by the flood, it would be devastating for her.

“Building Three only has old furniture. If it gets damaged, we can apply for some government assistance later.”

Jack’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“But your wife and Teddy are still in Building Three! What if they didn’t make it upstairs and are still trapped on the first floor?”

Gavin’s face turned ice-cold.

“Jack, are you telling me how to do my job? I told you Luna wouldn’t be that stupid. She knows how to stay safe. Going to Building Three now would be a waste of public resources.

“I’m in charge here. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. Do as I say!”

Jack gritted his teeth and turned away to carry out the orders.

I watched Gavin’s self-righteous profile and found it almost laughable.

He was always like this, using the most noble-sounding excuses to justify the most blatant favoritism.

Community records?

Personal belongings?

To Gavin, even a single photo album belonging to Wendy’s late husband mattered more than the lives of Teddy and me.

Teddy leaned against my leg, no longer crying.

He stared quietly at Gavin as the love and admiration he had once felt for his father slowly faded away.

“Mom, Dad said we were wasting resources.”

Teddy’s voice was barely a whisper.

“If I’m not worth saving, does that mean I’m trash?”

My chest tightened, and I crouched down to pull him into my arms.

“You’re Mommy’s precious boy—the most precious boy in the world. Your dad is blind. We don’t need him anymore.”

Teddy nodded obediently.

“Okay. I only need Mommy.”

By noon, most of the water had been pumped out of Building Five.

Wendy followed Gavin into the basement with her daughter.

She rummaged through a cardboard box and pulled out a photo album.

“Thank goodness. The pictures weren’t damaged.”

Tears of joy filled Wendy’s eyes as she hugged the album tightly.

Gavin stood beside her and let out a long sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness. I knew pumping out the water here first was the right decision.”

He took out his phone and glanced at the screen.

There were still no missed calls from me.

Gavin snorted and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“Luna has gone too far this time. She couldn’t even send me a message to let me know she was safe. Once I’m done with all this, I’m going to make her write a formal apology.”

Wendy wiped away her tears and gently tried to placate him.

“Gavin, don’t be angry with Luna. She may simply be terrified. When you go home, make sure you comfort her.”

“Why should I comfort her?”

Gavin frowned.

“She’s spoiled because I’ve indulged her for too long. The slightest problem sends her into a tantrum. This time, I’m not going to be the one to apologize first. She needs to realize what she did wrong.”

I stood behind them and watched Gavin’s confident expression.

He was certain I was still huddled in the second-floor stairwell, trembling as I held our son.

He was certain that all it would take was a crook of his finger, and I would obediently come running home.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know the truth.

He had personally locked the first-floor security door from the outside.

He said that we needed to be extra careful during a hurricane to prevent break-ins.

When the floodwaters surged inside, the pressure was so powerful that I couldn’t open the door.