Chapter 2
The dust in the air grew thicker, and pieces of rubble kept hitting my body. But what was this compared to the pain in my heart? It wasn’t even a fraction. It seemed like I was the only one left around, all alone. What was the point of staying alive in this world? Perhaps this disaster was my destined fate. I slowly closed my eyes, waiting for death to come. My ears were filled with the sound of the building tearing apart, each sound like the ticking of a countdown clock to the end of my life. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands lifted me up securely. Could it be Lucas? I opened my eyes excitedly, but when I saw who it was, I swallowed my words. “Ryan? Why are you here?” He frowned, his eyes fixed determinedly ahead. “Are you an idiot? Don’t you know to run?” I wanted to explain, but I didn’t know where to start. Ryan carried me out of the hospital just as the building collapsed behind us. He carefully set me down. As the smoke cleared, I saw people in various uniforms - doctors, nurses, patients, firefighters. Among the crowd, that familiar voice rang out again. “Firefighters, please go in and save people! There are still people inside! My fiancée is still in there.” Lucas’s face was red, the veins on his forehead bulging, as he anxiously gestured to the firefighters. The firefighters wore troubled expressions. The building had collapsed severely; anyone still inside would have been crushed. Seeing the firefighters not moving, Lucas roared, “How can you be like this! There are people inside and you won’t save them? I’m going to file a complaint!” After saying this, he suddenly turned and ran towards the rubble, digging at the stones with his bare hands. As he dug, he muttered under his breath: “Ava, you can’t die, you can’t die. “Chloe still needs your heart.” My heart suddenly skipped a beat. So, he wasn’t upset because of me, but because if I died, there would be no one to give Chloe a heart. I took a deep breath and slowly spoke up: “Lucas, I’m here.” As soon as I spoke, everyone turned to look at me. A flash of relief crossed Lucas’s face. He dropped the stones and ran towards me. He pulled me into a tight embrace, hot tears sliding down my neck. “Ava, do you know how worried I was about you? As soon as I heard about the accident at the hospital, I rushed over here. I’m so glad you’re okay. “Where did you go? How did you get out?” I unconsciously glanced at Ryan but didn’t answer. Someone watching nearby commented, “It’s obvious the man next to her saved her. They probably came out so late because they were together.” Lucas immediately raised his head and glared fiercely at Ryan. “Who are you?” I quickly stepped in front of Ryan. “He’s my friend. We met by chance, and he saved me.” Lucas let out a cold laugh, the hostility in his eyes not diminishing at all. “Don’t joke around. Who would want to be friends with you?” Indeed, everyone thought I was a freak. Chloe slowly walked over, a smile playing on her lips, her voice full of malice: “Ava, you and Lucas are about to get married. It’s not good to cheat now, is it?” Lucas instantly flew into a rage. He stepped forward and grabbed Ryan’s collar, shouting: “Well, well! You and Ava are bold enough to cheat right in front of me?” How could he accuse others of what he himself was guilty of? It was laughable. “Lucas, I advise you to stop right there,” I warned, knocking his hand away. “Fine, you’re even protecting him now? Ava, don’t take advantage of my love for you and do whatever you want.” Love for me? What a joke. Loved me so much he brought another woman home, loved me so much he didn’t save me when the building was collapsing. I was about to retort when a stern voice came from behind. “Who’s in charge of this hospital? We’ve found that the building materials used were substandard. Please come with us for investigation.” The next second, his hand pointed at me. “It’s her. She’s the director.” My pupils constricted, and I looked at him in disbelief. Back then, he said he wanted to build a hospital just for me, so I became the nominal director. But all along, it was his people who had been managing these things.