My Firefighter Husband Abandoned Me to Save His Childhood Sweetheart

: I Have to Save Her First

A fire broke out in the mall, and I was trapped inside.

My husband, Hugh Pierce, a firefighter, was the first to find me.

But after hearing the cries for help from his childhood sweetheart, Gia Lowell, he left without a moment's hesitation.

"Maeve, you're my wife. You of all people should understand."

"Gia's had weak lungs since she was a child. I have to save her first."

So, I was the one who could be devoured by the merciless flames.

Not even a complete skeleton could be recovered. My ashes were scattered forever beneath the ruins.

Afterward, Hugh Pierce was still at the hospital with Gia Lowell, complaining about how unreasonable I was.

Not until he returned home and found the ultrasound report on the table.

The child he had longed for, now one that would never be born into this world...

...

The thick smoke made me cough until my lungs burned, and the scorching heat felt like it was melting me.

Through the haze, I saw someone running frantically toward me.

"Maeve, are you okay?"

"Stay with me!"

It was my husband, Hugh Pierce, the firefighter.

Seeing him, my heart instantly settled.

'I'm saved!'

But Hugh Pierce didn't immediately lead me out. Instead, he started looking around.

He asked me, "Have you seen Gia?"

"She just sent me a WhatsApp message, saying she's trapped in here too!"

Before I could speak, Gia Lowell's weak cry came from downstairs. "Hugh Pierce, is that you?"

Hugh Pierce didn't hesitate. He pulled his hand from mine and turned to leave.

My heart sank. I quickly called out, "Hugh Pierce, I…"

Hugh Pierce turned back to comfort me.

"Maeve, you're my wife. You of all people should understand."

"Gia's had weak lungs since she was a child. I have to save her first."

"My colleagues are right behind me. They'll come get you."

He rushed in Gia Lowell's direction, not noticing that I had collapsed to my knees behind him.

In the chaos just now, I had accidentally fallen and inhaled a lot of thick smoke.

A searing pain burned in my nasal passages, my throat, and even my lungs.

My vision started to blur, and my limbs went weak.

Hugh Pierce, my husband.

When he was pursuing me, he had solemnly promised, "Maeve, I will protect you for the rest of my life."

We were together for four years and married for two.

Six years of love, only to be abandoned at the brink of death so he could save his childhood sweetheart.

'Hugh Pierce, what did I do wrong?'

...

As my consciousness faded, a familiar voice reached my ears.

"Zone T, second floor, east wing, all clear…"

"Maeve, what are you doing here? Why didn't anyone report a survivor in this location?"

"Hurry, come with me! This place is about to collapse!"

I recognized the fully geared firefighter as Hugh Pierce's colleague, Greg Lucas, and was about to give him my hand.

I looked up, and my pupils contracted suddenly.

The ceiling was falling.

Instinct took over. With the last of my strength, I pushed Greg Lucas away.

A sharp pain shot through my head.

And I was buried forever beneath the rubble.

THUMP—

The muffled crash of the falling ceiling seemed to still echo in my ears.

My soul began to rise.

I watched as Greg Lucas fell to the ground, staring, completely stunned, at the spot where I lay buried under the rubble.

He muttered to himself, "So close! I was so close!"

RUMBLE!

There was no time for him to grieve.

The scene began to collapse around him.

Greg Lucas scrambled to his feet and rushed out.

I could clearly see him trying to wipe away tears under his protective mask, and for a moment, I felt a pang of guilt.

'I'm sorry, Greg Lucas.'

'I hope this doesn't scar you for life.'

I floated upward, drifting outside the blaze, just in time to see Hugh Pierce running out with Gia Lowell on his back.

"Get the medics!"