Timothy Xavier’s heart sank when he heard the news, and he said to the person on the phone, "Arrange a private jet for , I’m heading back now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Serena Sawyer ca in with Doris.
"Timothy, where are you going?"
Serena blocked his way, looking at him anxiously.
"You stay here with Doris and my mother until it’s safe to return. I’m going back first to check on things."
Timothy walked straight out, the worry in his eyes seemingly about to break through his cool deanor.
Seeing she couldn’t stop him, Serena discreetly signaled to Doris.
Doris quickly hugged Timothy’s leg, crying, "Daddy, don’t go, earthquakes are scary, people die in them!"
Serena also tried hard to persuade him, "Yes, what if sothing happens to you? What will Doris and I do?"
Timothy said expressionlessly, "But Zoe is still there."
Serena’s face stiffened, a trace of unwillingness and resentnt flashing in her eyes.
At that mont, Sophia Kendall ca over and said, "Timothy, have you lost your mind? Serena and Doris are here, I’m here too, why are you going back to that dangerous place?"
Timothy frowned, explaining, "Zoe has lost contact."
"Her?"
Sophia scoffed, "If she’s lost contact, that’s for the best! If she’s dead, you won’t even need to divorce her; you can marry Serena directly. That woman has been in the position of Mrs. Xavier for four years, she’s not worthy at all! Serena has been taking care of work and helping you with Doris for years. When do you plan to give her a proper title?"
Serena’s face flushed, tensely waiting for Timothy’s answer.
Timothy’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction as he said, "Mom! Zoe is my wife, at least for now, she still is!"
Sophia was furious, saying, "If you were the one in an earthquake, do you think she’d risk everything to find you?"
Timothy paused, then said word by word, "She would."
Serena and Sophia were both filled with astonishnt; they didn’t expect that Timothy, who usually didn’t seem to care much about Zoe, would want to risk his life now!
However, under Serena’s signal, Doris clung tightly to Timothy’s leg, refusing to let go.
Timothy patiently said, "Be good, Doris, Daddy will be back soon."
"No, I don’t want you to go! If you leave, you’ll never co back!"
Doris stubbornly tried to keep him.
Timothy’s tone suddenly turned severe, "Doris, if you keep this up, Daddy will get angry."
Doris, frightened by the idea of Timothy getting angry, gradually loosened her grip.
...
Silverstream, 8 PM.
From the mont we arrived at the quake zone until now, a full four hours have passed. Victoria Monroe and I haven’t had a drop of water and have been continuously filming and capturing footage, tracking the current situation of the earthquake.
We were originally together, but the quake area was too large, so we had to act separately.
As a result, I have no idea where Victoria went now.
There’s been no signal, I can’t even make a phone call.
I can only record what I see and hear on my laptop, to upload once the signal is back, so the company can edit it later and post it.
In these four hours, we’ve captured too many images—shocking, grueso, desolate...
At that mont, I watched as the rescue workers pulled a young mother from the ruins.
She was shielding the baby in her arms tightly beneath her, her spine shattered, entirely covered in blood.
The rescue doctor shook his head regretfully, saying, "No hope, a beam hit the back of her head. Her whole body is stiff now, it’s clear she’s been gone for a while."
The nurse carefully took the baby, who was still nursing, from her embrace, oblivious to it all.
My eyes stung painfully, and hot tears slid down my cheeks—it reminded of my child.
If Doris weren’t my daughter, then my child truly wouldn’t be in this world anymore.
If I could trade my life for my child’s, I think I would.
Suddenly, a familiar voice made think I was hallucinating.
"Zoe Ellison!"
I turned around incredulously, and Timothy Xavier stood not far away.
Standing amidst the rubble, his polished calf-leather shoes were coated with a thick layer of dust.
In a daze, I felt like I was back on campus, in those monts when he waved and called my na from the sports field.
But wasn’t he in The Azure Isles?
I supported myself on my numbed knees and stood up.
Timothy had already walked briskly toward , his handso features seemingly frosted over.
He seed to be restraining anger, speaking controlledly, "Who allowed you to co here?"
I replied calmly, "This is my job."
Timothy gritted his teeth, "I think you’re here to get yourself killed!"
I suddenly pulled him along, taking a few steps forward and pointing at the extensive ruins and the volunteers passing by, "Do you see? Without these people risking their lives, those trapped under the rubble wouldn’t have a shred of hope to survive!"
Timothy pressed his lips together, gazing intently at for a long ti.
Just then, soone around us shouted, "There’s signal now!"
I hurriedly sat down on the spot and uploaded everything I’d just fild to the company intranet.
Timothy, usually a neat freak, didn’t seem to mind the dirty ground and sat beside .
He watched as I busied myself with the touchpad on my laptop, saying quietly, "People risking their lives save others; you’re risking your life for a few uninspiring photos and videos. Is it worth it?"
"Because what I capture onsite will be seen by everyone, prompting more volunteers to co and aid; more donations and materials will reach the disaster area."
Saying this, I gave a self-mocking smile, "I feel what I’m doing now is far more aningful than maintaining our marriage for the past four years."
I didn’t an to cut him.
But as I looked at the scenes recorded in these fras, I felt the edges that had worn down in my marriage were growing warm and sharp again.
Timothy was too cold; I even tried to warm him with my intensity.
But after a long contemplation, he said, "I can donate funds and supplies, but now, you must co back with ."
I sighed softly; he will never understand .
"Timothy Xavier, I didn’t force you to co here with . If you’re afraid of the danger, you can leave."
I picked up the cara again, capturing those touching, shocking monts.
With his temperant, I’d thought he’d just leave.
But he just followed .
Wherever I went, he was not far behind.
At that mont, a large number of donated supplies arrived.
Timothy went to get two dinners and handed one to .
Simple bread and water, but for starving , enough to fill the void.
He sat beside , eating more elegantly than I did.
Even in this chaotic place, he maintained his usual aloofness, like a monk detached from worldly affairs.
I couldn’t help but remark, "You really shouldn’t have co, wasted a dinner."
Timothy’s face darkened a bit, asking back, "So by your reckoning, I’m worth less than a dinner?"
I gave him a look, continued eating what I had, and quickly finished, diving back into work.
I chased after a team of dical staff running with a stretcher, and Timothy stretched his long strides to keep up with , neither too far nor too near.
If our marriage hadn’t reached its end, such silent protection would have felt romantic.
But now, no matter what he did, it no longer stirred any emotion in .
Late at night, utterly exhausted, I returned to the makeshift information center.
After all the imagery was uploaded, I collapsed onto the floor mat, drained.
The wall behind was painfully pressing into my bones.
I turned my head and saw Timothy Xavier standing in the corner, frowning slightly while surveying the surroundings.
His expensive suit was dusted, and his hair was a bit disheveled, yet he remained exceptionally dignified, out of place amidst the environnt.
"You should go back." I spoke with a hoarse voice, exhausted, "This isn’t where you belong, soone as elite as you don’t need to suffer here."
Timothy’s gaze landed on my face, his frown deepening: "If you’re doing this to prove sothing to , I’ve seen your capability now. Co back with , don’t be so stubborn."
I looked at him, finding it suddenly amusing yet bitter.
I shook my head, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of my mouth: "Timothy Xavier, you overestimate yourself and underestimate . To spite you, I wouldn’t risk my life."
He fell silent, his dark eyes heavy as they looked at .
After a while, he stopped trying to persuade and just sat down next to the mat.
The dust on the ground clung to his trousers, but his usual fastidiousness didn’t seem to bother him now.
"If you’re tired, lean on for a while."
He suddenly spoke, his voice light and cool, yet he moved a bit closer to on his own initiative.
Stunned for a mont, before I could react, he gently pressed my head to rest on his shoulder.
In the end, I couldn’t resist the overwhelming fatigue and drowsiness, falling asleep shortly after leaning on his shoulder.
Yet in this kind of place, no one can truly rest.
As dawn rely touched the sky, I was awake again.
Timothy appeared not to have slept at all, maintaining the sa posture, gently rotating the Buddha Beads in his hand in thought.
"Awake?"
He looked at , his features softening in the dawn’s gentle light.
I made a sound of acknowledgnt.
Observing the light shadows under his eyes and the weariness on his face, I persuaded him: "You should go back. There’s no point in you being here anyway."
Not strong enough to lift or carry anything.
He frowned and said: "You slept peacefully on my shoulder for over two hours, isn’t that a reason for being here?"
Just as he finished speaking, my phone rang, displaying a call from Sophia Kendall.
I put it on speaker, allowing Timothy to listen as well.
"You’re the one stopping Timothy from answering us, right? Zoe Ellison, how can you be so ruthless! A barren hen clinging onto him and now dragging him to his death!"
Timothy interrupted his mother’s incessant scolding with a deep voice, "Mom, let’s talk when I get back."
At this mont, Serena Sawyer’s voice popped up, pitifully begging : "Miss Ellison, could you please let speak alone with Timothy for just a mont? I have sothing very important to say."
Too weary to engage in dramas of mistress rivalries, I was beyond exposing her pathetic tricks. So I simply handed the phone to Timothy and turned off the speaker.
I didn’t know what Serena said, but I could visibly see tension building on Timothy’s face as he said, "Alright, I’ll co over now."
He set the phone down, got up, and headed toward the lot where his helicopter was parked.
Suddenly rembering, he stopped and glanced back at , standing alone where I was.
Just then, the radio broadcast an alarm, "According to the latest survey from the seismology bureau, there may be aftershocks tonight. Volunteers, please stay safe."
As the announcent ca out, everyone was filled with apprehension, so even contemplating leaving.
After all, who knows the power of the aftershocks or the destruction they might cause?
Every mont here increases the risk.
Upon hearing about the aftershocks, Timothy’s pupils contracted violently, asking, "Want to co with ?"
I stood still, my thoughts chasing after my words: "If I stay, would you stay with ?"
Timothy paused briefly in silence, then simply said five words: "Take care of yourself."
Then, he turned to walk toward his helicopter’s parking area.
I smiled in relief, having always known his choice, hadn’t I?
Suddenly, the alarm sounded again.
Everyone was discussing how the broadcast said aftershocks would co at night, so why were they happening now?
I scanned the area but didn’t see Victoria Monroe, wondering how her situation was?
At that mont, I suddenly rembered my computer was still at the base, with all the videos and photos I’d taken over the past few days.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, I ran towards the shelter, intending to retrieve my computer.
Never had I expected the aftershocks to co so swiftly, so fiercely.
Even the remaining buildings began shaking violently.
As the roaring smashed through the shelter’s roof, for the first ti, I felt death so near.
I had just grabbed the computer, unable even to run out, and watched as the beam ca crashing down.
In an instant, I was trapped in the crevice between the beam and the floor.
Thankfully, there were steps in the floor here, leaving a small gap that was temporarily safe, the beam resting there for now without pressing downward further.
But the aftershocks continued; if more debris continued to fall, the beam surely wouldn’t last long.
All I knew in my heart was one thing: I cannot die!
If I died, would my mother have to rely on The Ellison Family indefinitely?
Why should anyone else bear responsibilities that should have been mine?
In this confined space, it was hard to move my body or hands, and it took quite a while to reach the phone in my pocket.
But my hand couldn’t reach my face, leaving unable to see the screen at all, I could only unlock it with fingerprint and dial by feel.
I forced myself to calm down, though my mind was in chaos. Even if I managed to dial out, what could happen?
In these circumstances, who would venture into such a perilous disaster zone to save ?
After a few busy tones, the call connected, "Hello."
I truly don’t understand, what kind of fate ties Timothy Xavier and together?
Barely able to see in the dark, my call still managed to reach him.
From the ti he left until now, it had only been a matter of minutes.
If he hadn’t gone far, maybe he might return to help remove the debris pressing on .
"Timothy, where are you?"
He didn’t answer directly, rely asked calmly, "What’s up?"
I couldn’t help but tremble in my voice: "If you’re still nearby, could you co rescue ? The aftershocks just happened, and I’m trapped under a beam, unable to get out."
I didn’t expect his response, cold with a hint of impatience, "The broadcast clearly stated the aftershocks would co at night, and now you’re telling they’ve happened? When I urged you to leave with , you refused. Now you pull these stunts, isn’t this futile?"
"I really am stuck here,"
Tears welled up from urgency, not knowing how to make him believe , I could only insist repeatedly, "I can’t die, my mother still needs ..."
Yet the man on the other end simply hung up the call, the power-off tone of my phone following shortly after.
Warm liquid incessantly rolled from my eyes, using the last bit of my phone’s battery life to cry for help.
But he severed all hope of continuing to live.
The aftershock eventually subsided, seemingly bringing temporary calm.
I kept yelling for assistance with all my might, but as ti crept past, no rescue workers heard .
From daylight to nightfall, chilled and famished, my strength exhausted, my voice had dwindled to a whisper.
There would be no one noticing .
Nearly in despair, I closed my eyes.
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