Chapter 1

The typhoon swept around us. There was only one space left in the rescue truck, and my fiance, Derrick Lodge, reached out for me without hesitation and hoisted me into the car.

I was saved. However, his first love, Victoria Rayne, died on the spot after getting struck by flying debris whilst waiting for the next rescue truck.

Derrick never brought up the incident again after we returned home safe and sound. In fact, he didn't even attend Victoria's funeral. Instead, he held a grand wedding and married me.

For the next three years of our marriage, Derrick wouldn't stop torturing me whenever he had the chance. He kept blaming me for indirectly causing Victoria's death.

Finally, I reached my limit and asked him for a divorce. However, he killed me with his gun before taking his own life after that.

…

"Cassandra Schmidt! Come up, quickly!"

Derrick's voice was warped by the howling winds as he yelled at me.

I could feel the wind sweeping me off my feet. Suddenly, I realized that I had somehow been given a second chance at life.

It was the day when "Typhoon Seahorse" invaded the city, and we were all stranded at Quayside Bay.

A rescue truck stopped before us. However, there wasn't enough space for all of us. They could only afford to bring two more people with them.

Amongst the three of us, as a doctor, Derrick was needed to help save other typhoon victims, so he took up one of the spots. As for the last spot on the truck, he had to choose between saving my life and saving Victoria's.

Derrick's eyes were red and bloodshot. He kept glaring at me, having an entire debate in his head. Ultimately, he still reached his hand out toward me.

This was how Derrick had chosen me in my past life. I had survived the typhoon, but Victoria ended up dead waiting for the next rescue truck because she'd been struck by a huge roof that had torn off somewhere.

Derrick had married me right after that. Then, he proceeded to torture me for three years because he thought of me as Victoria's murderer.

When I finally had enough of his bullshit and asked him for a divorce, he pressed the barrel of his gun against my chest and yelled at me with a crazy look in his eyes.

"You killed Victoria, Cassandra Schmidt! You owe her your life! It's about time you went to hell to keep her company!"

I felt myself shuddering as I recalled the pain and despair I felt after getting shot in the chest and dying from the wound. Then, I looked at his outstretched hand and took a huge step backward, shoving it away.

"Take Victoria with you instead, Derrick."

I didn't want to owe anyone my life again this time.

Derrick was stunned when he heard what I said. However, a split second later, I could see that his tense body relaxed immediately. He heaved a long sigh of relief, as if he'd just managed to shrug off a huge burden from his shoulders.

He then quickly turned to Victoria and grabbed her shivering body, forcefully dragging her into the rescue vehicle.

"You're my fiancee, Cassandra, and I should be saving you first. But you don't have to worry. Since you gave up your spot for Victoria, I'll be right back with another team to save you as soon as I've settled her down. Wait for me!"

With that, he immediately shut the door in my face, as if worried that I would change my mind.

What a joke. Did he really think that everyone else was as fake as he was?

In my past life, as soon as we got to the safe area and the signal returned to our phones, Derrick immediately contacted the rescue team like an anxious maniac, trying to get them to save Victoria. However, it was too late.

When news of Victoria's death reached him, Derrick remained silent and showed no traces of emotion on his face.

He calmly arranged for Victoria's funeral and gave the Rayne family a huge sum of money to choose the best burial plot for her.

I'd asked him then if we should postpone our wedding. However, he pulled me into his arms and said with reddened eyes, "I don't want to upset you, Cassie. Don't worry. I'll plan the grandest wedding of the century, just for you."

It wasn't until after the wedding that I learned he'd been forced to marry me.

He brought me home as his wife and started treating me with hatred and malice, cornering me and forcing me to make up for Victoria's death for the rest of my life.

But what did her death have to do with me?

I watched as the rescue truck sped off in the distance. Then, I turned around and tried thinking of a way to save my own life. After all, I couldn't guarantee that Derrick would be coming back with help to save me.