Chapter 1

"Don't send a rescue boat to the first floor of Building Three. Concentrate all available resources on Building Five."

Natalie's calm voice came through the rescue team's radio.

Holding Tyler's hand, I drifted above the floodwaters and listened in silence.

"But Director Strickland, Emerson called earlier. He said the water was already up to his neck." The young rescue worker, Daniel Foster, sounded anxious.

"Daniel, you're new here, so you don't know Emerson very well. He has a habit of exaggerating." Natalie let out a weary sigh.

"He knows I'm out in the field, so he's making it sound worse than it is because he wants me to make an exception and rescue him first. He's a grown man. Can't he take care of himself for once?

"I'm the director of the neighborhood committee. If I give my own family special treatment, how am I supposed to expect anyone else to trust me?"

Daniel hesitated. "But Emerson said Tyler has a high fever..."

"I know Tyler's health better than anyone. He's a tough little boy. Give him some fever medicine, let him sleep, and he'll be fine." Natalie cut him off.

"Hayden Walker in Building Five is raising his daughter, Aviana, by himself. She has asthma and can't handle this kind of stress. Turn the rescue boat around and head to Building Five immediately. That's an order."

The radio went dead.

Daniel sighed, then reluctantly steered the rescue boat toward Building Five.

The propeller churned up the floodwater as the boat passed directly over my son's body and mine. Our bodies were wedged between the living room couch and the ceiling.

Floating on the water was Tyler's favorite Transformer, along with the half-finished cup of instant mac and cheese I'd never gotten the chance to eat.

"Daddy, why won't Mommy let the police come save us?" Tyler looked up at me, his translucent little face full of confusion.

I crouched down and gently stroked his intangible hair. "Because Mommy has someone else she thinks is more important."

"But I'm so cold, Daddy. It's so dark in the water." His lips trembled into a tiny pout.

I couldn't bear to see him like that.

"System, open the transmigration portal."

The System's mechanical voice responded.

[Host, the transmigration portal is ready. You may depart at any time.]

But Tyler suddenly tugged on my sleeve. "Daddy, I want to see Mommy one more time. I want to ask her myself if I wasn't a good boy. Is that why she didn't want me anymore?"

The faint hope in his eyes pierced straight through my heart. Even in death, he still longed for the mother who never stopped talking about the greater good.

"System, postpone our departure for two days."

[Request approved. Temporary stay authorized. Countdown: forty-eight hours.]

Holding Tyler's hand, I drifted with the current toward the emergency shelter. The district gymnasium had been converted into a temporary evacuation center, brightly lit despite the storm.

Natalie, who was still wearing her rain gear, stood at the command table reviewing evacuation lists. Hayden sat beside her, his daughter wrapped in a blanket as he held her close.

"Natalie, did I cause you trouble? If you hadn't come to rescue us, you'd probably be with Emerson right now. Is he going to be angry with me?"

Natalie set down her pen and turned to him, her expression softening. "Don't overthink it. You're a priority assistance case. Rescuing you was protocol.

"Emerson is a grown man, and Tyler is already six. Even on the first floor, they could've climbed onto a cabinet and waited it out. If he can't even handle something that basic, then I seriously misjudged him."

She picked up a cup of hot water from the table and handed it to Hayden. "Drink something hot. Don't catch a chill."

I silently watched the scene unfold.

That blanket… I'd washed it just two days ago and put it away in the closet. Before Natalie left, I'd packed it into a waterproof bag myself because I was worried she'd get cold while working through the night.

Now it was wrapped around another man's daughter.

"But wasn't Tyler running a fever?" Hayden accepted the cup with both hands and asked cautiously.

"It's just a fever. He won't die from it." Natalie's voice was flat. "Emerson is way too sensitive. He always acts like the whole world should revolve around him. When the floodwaters recede, I'll deal with him."

Tyler's tiny hand suddenly tightened around mine. "Daddy, does Mommy not love me? Is that why she didn't care whether I lived or died?"