The landslide caused the bus to fall off the cliff. In the face of life and death, I frantically called my boyfriend, Owen Morris, countless times.

I broke my leg. While in the ambulance, I saw Owen's childhood friend, Alice Stewart, post a photo of him shielding her with his body.

Alice captioned it. "From the beginning to the end, you are the only one."

Everyone was waiting for my reaction, so I casually commented, "I'll step aside for you two; you two should be together."

Later, Owen searched everywhere for me. He didn't know my heart longed for the wilderness; how could I dwell in a city?

——

The phone that had never connected suddenly called me back!

I saw Owen's name, answered it. Instead of concern, I received a barrage of accusations.

"What are you commenting for? Do you like being sarcastic?

"We had an accident, Alice was scared. Don't look at things from a dirty perspective.

"If I really had something with her, why would I be with you?"

My leg hurt badly, and the silence around me was terrifying. My bus had the worst fate, falling directly off the cliff, and several colleagues were still unconscious.

Hearing Owen speak like that, I suddenly felt it was pointless.

"I got hurt too, I'm still..."

"Owen, I forgot to get a towel, I'm already undressed," came a sweet voice from the other end of the phone.

My heart tightened; they were already back at the hotel. Owen quickly explained.

"I was giving Alice's dog a bath. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to misunderstand. Zoey, you've been too dramatic."

"Hmm." I replied flatly, "You need to be naked to bathe a dog, right?"

"What are you arguing about now?"

Owen was very angry and didn't bother to explain further. He hung up. In this relationship, I had always been humble.

The next day, I was sleeping soundly in the hospital when I heard Owen apologize. He looked at my cast-covered leg and said.

"I didn't think you were really hurt. I thought you were joking since your expedition team is professional."

Yesterday, we entered Yoseph Mountain. Coincidentally, their hospital team-building trip was also there. Family members could join, but Owen said to avoid suspicion.

We had several buses, one after another. Owen reached out to touch my head, "Does it hurt a lot?"

He always used to scold me and then treat me well. If it were before, a little coaxing from Owen would make me incredibly happy.

"It doesn't hurt."

"I know you hate pain. What do you want to eat? I'll pack it for you later."

Owen might have felt he neglected me last night and wanted to make it up to me. At that moment, someone walked in and naturally hooked her arm around his.

"Owen, the meeting is about to start, why are you still here?" Alice said intimately. She then saw me and covered her mouth in surprise.

"Zoey, you really broke your leg? How careless! Owen must be heartbroken."

I didn't want to talk to her, but Alice persisted, "I'll come to visit Zoey later. I need to borrow Owen now. You won't be mad, right?"

"No, I won't."

I replied, and Owen repeated it. He said the hospital food wasn't good, and he would pack my favorite food later.

But I was starving, almost dying of hunger in bed, and Owen never brought the food.

Bored, I scrolled through social media and saw Alice's post.

"The hand that holds the scalpel can also hold the kitchen knife. Owen's culinary skills are the best."

My eyes instantly reddened, and I couldn't hold back anymore. Owen always cared about his hands. I had begged him before to make me a bowl of love pasta.

He only responded with, "Stop it," saying his hands were for saving lives, not wasting on trivial matters.

But his prideful self used those hands to make a full meal for Alice.

I ordered takeout, as waiting for Owen to feed me might leave me starving here.

Fortunately, my team leader, Natalie Rogers, visited me. She had specially made supplements. As I ate, I almost cried.

“Zoey, this accident came so suddenly. Are you sure you want to continue? It's in the undeveloped area of Yoseph Mountain. If something happens, Owen will go crazy.” Natalie sighed, saying it was a pity.

Previously, whenever there was any danger, Owen would always persuade me to leave the team, but this time I wouldn't give up.

I always hoped to walk in the wilderness, to explore and protect that lush green land. It was my dream!

But over the years, I had centered my life around Owen, spending too much time on him. Yet in his heart, I was not important.

Alice was always his first priority, and Owen always had ready excuses for it.

She was entrusted to Owen by his master before he was dead. They had a life-and-death bond, and Owen still honored his master's wishes.

“I'm sure about staying with the team.”

Hearing my words, Natalie was very excited. “That's the spirit. There will be many new plant species in the undeveloped areas of Yoseph Mountain. Such a life leaves no regrets.”

Natalie was about to say more when she saw Owen walk in empty-handed, having long forgotten his promise to bring me food.

“You'll have to handle him yourself. I'll be waiting for your good news.”

There was nothing to be done. I remained silent as Owen walked in with a sullen face.

“Don't you know how dangerous Yoseph Mountain is? Why must you be so willful and make others worry about you?”

I laughed angrily. "Care about me? When I fell off the cliff, weren't you flirting with Alice? What right do you have to criticize me now?"

I lay down. Owen was really angry this time. When he left, he slammed the door so hard.

After that day, I never saw Owen again. I had been actively preparing to restart the project.

My phone vibrated several times.

Owen unusually sent me a message.

"I got a gathering tonight and might go on late; I'll visit you later."

I looked at it but didn't reply. That was an event with his friends. Owen was the young master of the prestigious Morris family in Aford City, though he was taken back by them after he became an adult.

Yet he remained incredibly wealthy. According to them, it was my great fortune that Owen, someone of his stature, noticed an ordinary person like me.

"It's really just a few buddies, all guys."

Owen rarely sent me a photo of their gathering. Everyone in it was either rich or noble. He had never introduced me to his friends before.

I turned off my phone and lay down to rest for a while.

When I picked it up again, there were more than a dozen missed calls. I frowned and answered Owen's call.

“Why didn't you answer the phone?”

Owen's tone was full of anger, on the verge of exploding.

“It was on silent, I didn't hear it.”

“I explained that situation to you. I didn't know you were hurt. That night, Alice was scared out of her wits, and I couldn't leave her. Zoey, you're not young anymore, why are you still so jealous?”

Owen thought I was angry with him, but I wasn't. I just didn't care anymore. Every time he went to a gathering with his buddies before.

I couldn't relax. His friends loved to play around. Back then, I was always worried, frequently calling to check on him.

But all I got was Owen's disgust. He would say, “Zoey, are you annoyed? Can't you stop being so clingy?” He also said, “Zoey, do you want to be a dog instead of a person?”

I was too afraid of losing Owen.

He said, “Zoey, being with you is really hard!”

“I'm not angry.” I responded calmly, hearing a deep sigh from the other end.

“Sorry, I've had too much to drink.”

I was speechless.

After a long silence, Owen repeated, “I've had too much to drink.”

Seeing that I didn't respond, Owen wisely hung up the phone. He had drunk too much, and did he expect me, with my injured leg, to go pick him up? The Morris family had plenty of drivers.

On the day I was discharged, Owen came early. I was staying at a hospital owned by the Morris Group, so I couldn't run away.

Today he was attentive, insisting on helping me and taking me back.

The passing nurses looked on enviously, saying that he really spoiled me.

If it were before, I would have been moved to tears by Owen's actions. Now, I was numb, even though he was still as handsome as ever.

Just as we reached the parking lot and I opened the car door to get in, I suddenly saw Alice sitting in the passenger seat.

My hand froze.

"Sitting in the back is the same," Owen said as he opened the door for me. I went in without a fuss.

Alice was happily eating ice cream in the passenger seat. "Zoey, Owen picked me up earlier and I happened to sit here. I'm too lazy to move. You don't mind, right?"

"It's fine, just a seat," I replied, but my eyes were fixed on Alice's ice cream.

Owen had severe mysophobia. He never let me eat in his car, fearing the smell and the mess.

But Alice could easily break his rules.

"Why are you still like a child, eating messily everywhere?" Owen took a tissue and wiped the ice cream off Alice's mouth.

Alice stuck out her tongue. "It was an accident."

My eyes hurt a little. I decided to bear it; I'd be home soon.

But Owen took us to a hotel. He said Alice wanted to treat me to a meal and felt bad about before.

Alice bustled around, holding onto me as if afraid I'd run off. As soon as I sat down, a white figure suddenly lunged at me.

I couldn't dodge in time and instinctively used my crutch in self-defense.

"Ruby!" Alice cried as she saw her dog get hit by me. "Zoey, why are you so harsh? Ruby likes you."

"Like me?"

There was a scratch on my arm. The dog's stance earlier wasn't one of wanting a hug.

Owen came over to support me, saying my reaction was too extreme.

"I know you don't like pets, but don't be so harsh."

I looked at the scratch on my arm. "Great, now I'd have to spend money on a vaccine."

Alice quickly tried to smooth things over. "It's okay; Ruby isn't hurt. Come on, Zoey, what do you like to eat? If you don't say, I'll order."

"..."

"Let's go with these, they're Owen's favorites."

I looked at the menu, it was all spicy food. Not only was I a recent patient, but Owen's taste wasn't like this either.

"You can eat spicy food?" I wondered. Before, when I wanted to eat spicy food, he refused, saying he never ate spicy.

Alice laughed. "Owen is from Gonzales. And the Morris family brought him back. Didn't you know that?"

Alice looked at me innocently. I looked at the table full of spicy dishes and lost my appetite.

"You guys eat." I got up to leave. Even limping, I didn't want to stay in this place any longer.

Owen knew I was angry and followed me, explaining that his status was different now. He couldn't eat fast food now and said it to prevent me from overthinking.

Owen said he didn't mean to deceive me and that these were small things I didn't need to get so angry about.

"Zoey, have you had enough? Over such a small matter, do you have to be so dramatic?"

Owen's love and indifference were distinct.

I didn't eat. I ran back to the hospital alone to get a rabies shot. I valued my life.

I returned home at midnight, but Owen hadn't come back. I tidied up a bit and went to sleep.

Half-asleep, I felt someone approach my bed. He gently kissed my forehead, sighed, and left.

The next day, I woke up to a fragrant smell. When I got up, I saw Owen had made a full breakfast spread.

“Are you hungry? I didn't know what you wanted to eat today, so I made a bit of everything,” said Owen.

I sat down. There was no reason to refuse a free breakfast. Seeing me eat silently, Owen said.

“Come back to the residence with me this weekend. Have dinner with my parents.”

I was startled by his words. Our relationship was secret. I had never mentioned it to the others. I knew I couldn't match their status.

But today, Owen unusually wanted to take me back.

“No, it's not necessary.”

We were about to break up. Why go to the Morris residence? I could never return to that disgusting place!