Before the woman could finish speaking, I had already made my decision.

“My mother-in-law is unwell. Take her with you.”

At that moment, Josie gathered herself while being treated.

She suddenly grabbed the hem of my top and insisted that she would not board the plane.

“I can’t leave, Elise. If I hadn’t forced you to marry Lucas, we wouldn’t be stuck here today.

“I’m getting up there in age, and I won’t live much longer. I can’t let you sacrifice yourself for me.”

The warning siren for the earthquake rang out again. As the rescue team hurried us, I clenched my teeth and pried Josie’s fingers off me one by one.

“Don’t say that, Josie. If you hadn’t helped me financially, I would still be farming in the valley.

“In my heart, you’re like my own mother. The wrongs Lucas committed have nothing to do with you. Go. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

My parents were servants of the Devine family. Back when Lucas and I were still kids, he got kidnapped, and my parents lost their lives saving him.

Ever since then, Josie had taken me in and treated me as her own daughter. Everything that Lucas got, I had as well.

Lucas met Shevonne in university and was determined to marry her. Yet, the night before their engagement, there was a huge dip in the Devine Group’s share prices, and Shevonne ran off abroad with some rich guy.

Lucas was greatly hurt by this and drank every day to comfort himself. Once, after getting drunk, he mistook me for Shevonne and forced me into bed with him.

Josie felt guilty about the incident and arranged for us to get married.

However, not long after the wedding, Shevonne could not stay overseas any longer. When she got back, she stuck to Lucas like a burr.

As if hypnotized, Lucas started asking me for a divorce, but Josie was dead set against it. The whole Devine family was in chaos because of it, and there were arguments all the time.

When it came down to it, Josie was protecting me.

At this point, I could not bear to see the only person who had ever treated me well die.

“Josie, I’m begging you. I listened to you when you asked me not to divorce Lucas, so now it’s your turn to listen to me. Just this once. Please go.”

Josie’s eyes were red-rimmed, and tears dripped on the back of my hand.

A member of the rescue team glanced at his watch and rushed us again. I gritted my teeth and forcefully pushed Josie onto the plane.

“You must wait here, Elise. I’ll contact Lucas and get him to save you!”

The door to the plane closed with those words.

The plane carrying those who could go home started to taxi down the runway.

At the plane window, Josie was sobbing and hitting the glass with all her might. However, there was too much noise around, so I could not tell what she was saying.

All I knew was how intense the earthquake was going to be. It would cause great damage. There was no way I was going to escape.

The people who had not been able to board the plane gathered around me. Their gazes burned as they stared at me.

“Ms. Avignon, you’re Lucas Devine’s wife. There’s no way he’ll leave you to die in this earthquake.”

“We’re begging you! Please call him and ask him to save us. If you can’t, give us his number. We can ask him ourselves. Mr. Devine is a philanthropist and a kind businessman. No matter how much he dotes on his mistress, there’s no way he’ll stand by and watch you and us die!”

The earthquake warning on everyone’s phones let out a sharp noise.

The kids in the group started to cry, and a pregnant woman gripped my shoulder while begging me to save them.

I clenched my teeth and unlocked my phone. Before I could click on Lucas’s private number, a news headline popped out.

[To Win Lover’s Favor, Devine Group’s President Pilots a Helicopter to Scatter Cash in the Air.]

In the accompanying photo, Lucas was piloting a helicopter as Shevonne was halfway out the door scattering bills in the air. At the tail of the helicopter hung a banner that read, “Lucas Devine Wishes Shevonne Cobb a Happy Birthday.”

I had never gotten such treatment.

In the years since I married Lucas, all that I received was his ire, coldness, blame, and derision.

To him, my life was not worth a hair on Shevonne’s head.

Thus, he was not coming to save me.

The tourists around me who saw the news had various expressions. Yet, their desperation to live urged them to call Lucas anyway.

When Lucas got the call, he sounded very impatient.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Mr. Devine, I’m stuck with your wife, Elise Avignon, at the airport—”

“When will you give it up? How much did that scheming woman pay you to put on this show? I’ll pay double for you all to shove off!”

“Mr. Devine, haven’t you seen the news? We’ve had an earthquake warning. Everyone’s evacuating!”

“I’ve not seen any news. Would my assistant not tell me about an earthquake?

“Is Elise beside you? I’m warning you, Elise. Don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because my mother likes you. I only love Shevonne!”

At that point, one of the members of the rescue team could not take it any longer. He tried to take over the conversation.

“Mr. Devine, please calm down. I’m a member of the rescue team in charge of evacuation.”

Lucas finally started to believe the situation was real. Yet, the next second, Shevonne’s voice came through the line.

“Elise, are you feeling jealous after seeing the news? Lucas is a public figure, you know. Have you considered what kind of bad press lying about a natural disaster will do to him?”

Some of the others could not stand to hear such a thing. One of them snatched the phone and switched the call to a video call to show the tourists stuck at the airport.

“Mr. Devine, we’re not lying. Lives are at stake. Please come and save us!”

Everyone waited for Lucas’s reaction with bated breath. Shevonne whined at that moment, which attracted Lucas’s gaze for a second.

Then, Shevonne ended the call.

Silence reigned in the area for a moment before the earthquake warning let out another deafening shriek.

This warning was different from the others. It did not stop, but rang continuously. At the same time, the ground trembled beneath our feet.

Everyone stumbled and fell to the ground.

The rescue team sent to evacuate us immediately brought me away in search of somewhere to shelter.

Luckily, the first shake was not very strong. The trembling ground soon calmed.

As everyone started comforting each other, the whir of a helicopter came from above.

Someone looked up and excitedly nudged me.

“Ms. Avignon, your husband is here to get you!”

The helicopter slowly descended. Soon, a rope ladder was thrown down.

Lucas looked down with a cold expression.

“Shouldn’t you be grabbing on?”

I was puzzled, but reached out for the ladder.

The helicopter brought me higher into the air while my heart was filled with confusion.

Lucas had always hated me. What had changed his mind?

Whatever it was, he still saved me.

Once we got somewhere safe, I wanted to get Lucas to send out his private plane to save the rest of the people back at the airport.

I was choosing my words while climbing up to get inside the helicopter.

Yet the helicopter stopped rising.

Then, Shevonne poked her head out. Her expression was one of malice.

“Idiot, did you really think we came to save you? You kept disturbing me and Lucas. We’re here to teach you a lesson!”

She laughed and took out a sharp knife.

I instantly understood what she wanted to do. However, I could do nothing while hanging in midair. I cried out for Lucas to save me.

Lucas did not stop Shevonne. Instead, he looked at me icily.

“You deserve what’s coming for telling such a malicious lie, Elise. Don’t worry, you won’t die from falling from this height. You’d better keep this in mind: Don’t ever use such tricks to try and fool me again!”

Shevonne sawed the rope with her knife in a leisurely manner.

“Lucas, this knife is so dull. My arm hurts from cutting the rope.”

Lucas’s heart ached for Shevonne. The two hugged and kissed sweetly as I fell into despair.

It was only when the helicopter flew past a soft field that Shevonne peeked out again.

When she saw the ground beneath turn to hard cement, she smirked.

“See you never, Elise Avignon.”

As she said this, she sliced the rope, and it crackled as it frayed.

The rope snapped.

Before I hit the ground, I covered my tummy in despair.