It is the third year of the apocalypse. All water sources have been thoroughly polluted, making even a single bottle of clean water extremely rare.

Every base has to send out search teams to find new water sources for all.

My husband, Jasper Curran, is a geologist, and so, he is able to locate water sources that are still pure and unpolluted.

However, when someone holds a knife to my throat for the last bottle of water—thinking that he will do anything to stop them—he hands the only bottle of clean water to Avery Grayson, the person who claimed she was my parents' real daughter instead of me.

"Ave is thirsty. She's been suffering since she was little and she even had her parents taken by you, Arianne Grayson," Jasper says. "Just let her have the water."

Jasper's expression is too calm and collected, as if my life is not on the line because of him.

"They're just trying to scare you. You've enjoyed so many years of being spoiled with a luxurious lifestyle anyway. So what if you get bullied a little?"

The people then kick me to the ground in a fit of rage as I watch Jasper huddle Avery into his arms and disappear into the desert. I get beaten up so hard that my chapped lips crack and start bleeding once again.

I look at the menacing faces around me and quickly exclaim, "Wait, wait! I can help you find clean water too!"

"Believe me. I may not have water, but I can locate it! I'm the only one besides Jasper who can find water sources now!" I exclaimed.

The crowd clearly didn't believe me. After all, they only knew me as the wife of the famous geologist, Jasper Curran.

However, even Jasper had forgotten that I was also a talented and well-renowned geologist before I married him.

My mentor, Dr. Daniel Brown, was a very famous geologist as well, and all the other top scorers and geniuses in my field had to treat me with respect.

Yet, after getting married and becoming a housewife to take better care of my daughter, Sasha Curran, even I had already forgotten about my glorious past.

As a last resort, the crowd surrounding me handed the water-detecting equipment from my bag to me.

I sighed in relief.

I began fiddling with the device and started trying to locate water under the crowd's watchful eyes. I started out a little clumsily at first, sweat completely drenching my entire back, and eventually got more familiar with the equipment.

Finally, I managed to find a small water source in the middle of the desert before the crowd lost their patience with me.

They looked at me gratefully. I then asked in a hoarse voice, "Since I've located the water source for you, can you let me go?"

The people exchanged glances with each other and gulped hard.

"We just want to survive. Since you've brought water to us, we won't make things hard for you anymore."

They then returned the backpack that they had confiscated from me earlier and then began drinking the water thirstily. They also filled up their water bottles after that.

I took out the communication device from deep inside my backpack, took a deep breath, and dialled my designated rescue number.

"I've decided to join your team. Please come and get me as soon as possible," I said. "Also, please ensure Sasha's safety."

I had been married to Jasper for eight years, and we had a daughter together. However, she was weak and sickly since she was a baby.

If it weren't for my wanting Sasha to receive more help, I would never have left her alone back at the base camp while Jasper and I went out in search of a larger water source.

Before leaving, Jasper promised me that his parents would take good care of her in our absence. However, judging from how quickly Jasper abandoned me, I no longer trusted him with our daughter's life.

I had to rush back as quickly as possible.

The sun had become twice as hot and intense ever since the start of the apocalypse. My legs were shaky as I returned to the temporary shelter that the search team had built while in search of the larger water sources.

When I pushed the door open, I saw that the other teams had already returned. They had all gathered together for a meeting.

The other team members who had abandoned me and left in safety with Jasper earlier all looked at me in shock. It was as if they had never expected me to ever survive getting away from the crowd of criminals they'd encountered earlier.

However, Jasper didn't seem surprised to see me. He looked as though I had only been out for a short trip instead of narrowly escaping death.

He casually dismissed the meeting and paid no heed to my disheveled appearance or my cracked, peeling skin.

When the rest of the people had fully dispersed, he looked at me calmly and said, "So you're back."

My throat was parched. I didn't want to say a single word to him.

Jasper didn't repeat his question either. He just tossed me a water bottle that still had a few drops of water left in it.

"Water is very scarce and precious right now, Ari. It wasn't easy to find just a bit of it. Ave left this water for you out of the kindness of her heart."

I caught the bottle and saw my initials were on it—it was my own water bottle. Suddenly, I felt like a clown.

Jasper knew how rare and precious water was. However, he still didn't hesitate to trade my life for this bottle of water to give to Avery Grayson, my so-called sister who claimed that she was the true heiress in my family.

He didn't care whether I'd survive the ordeal or not.

Seeing that I didn't drink up the water gratefully as he thought I would, Jasper's face turned dark.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Arianne Grayson?"

I looked at him coldly and said, "Every little bit of water counts. I need to save it all for Sasha."

Jasper's face froze for a second. Then, he hurriedly changed the topic.

"Don't worry, Ari. We'll find more water and return to base camp very soon."

I gripped the water bottle in my hand and couldn't stop the surge of resentment rising within me.

"If you really wanted to go back quicker to see Sasha, Jasper, then carry out your mission properly instead of treating this expedition like you're on vacation with Avery!

"Otherwise, you'll never find another water source and return!"

Jasper looked at me deeply like he was looking at a child throwing a temper tantrum.

"You disappoint me too much, Ari," he said. "You've already stolen everything from Ave. You can't possibly deny her small requests now. I will never let Ave feel like she was abandoned ever again!"

I wanted to sneer in his face.

Jasper and I had been married for eight years, but we'd known each other for 18 years.

The first time we met was when I saw him rummaging through the trash in search of food because of how hungry he was. I was the one who went against Mom and Dad's wishes and brought him home.

Mom and Dad refused to accept him. So, I was the one who spent all of my savings on him, letting him live a good life and even paying for his education.

Soon after, Jasper threw himself at my parents' feet and begged them to let him take my hand in marriage. That was the first time someone as proud as Jasper ever begged others for something he wanted.

Finally, he got permission from my parents. He was so touched and ecstatic that he hugged me tightly and cried against my neck. He promised me that he would even give up his life for me if he had to, that we'd be together forever.

His hot tears warmed my heart. I had never felt happier in my entire life.

However, everything changed after my parents found Avery, who claimed that she was their real daughter.

Mom and Dad completely neglected me and showered Avery with all of their love instead.

The first month Avery came back, Jasper still comforted me and assured me that I still had him even if my parents didn't want me anymore.

However, from the second month onward, he began feeling sorry for Avery and pitying her plight.

Later on, he began blaming and chastising me for stealing Avery's life and rightful identity as the true heiress to the Grayson family.

It wasn't until I got pregnant later that our relationship became less tense. Jasper still loved me and our daughter, Sasha.

Still, things changed again sometime later. I didn't know exactly when, but it had to be the time around when I was about to give birth, and Jasper was at a restaurant with Avery, busy celebrating his company getting successfully listed.

Maybe it was also around the time when the apocalypse began, and Jasper abandoned Sasha and me in search of Avery instead.

Jasper and I began talking less to each other. In the past, he used to talk about me all the time. Now, however, it was always about Avery.

I shivered hard, not wanting to recall those painful memories anymore.

Whatever affection we had for each other during our youth should only exist in the past now. Whatever we had left for each other now was just cold aloofness and indifference.

I forced a smile on my face. "I don't want to search for water anymore. I'm going back."

Jasper frowned. "Don't you want to save Sasha anymore?"

I replied calmly, "I'll think of another way. In any case, I'm going back first."

"You can't leave now! The chances of us finding new water sources will reduce if we lose anyone on our team. Can't you stop being selfish for once, Arianne?"

"That's not my problem anymore!"

"It's not like you can even see Sasha now if you went back!"

My pupils constricted at once as I shook in horror.

"What the hell did you do to her?"

Jasper cast me a suspicious look. Then, he suddenly broke into a smile.

"You can't possibly think that I harmed Sasha. Did you? Ari, I am still her biological father. It's just that the base camp came up with a new cryonics program, so I had her sent there.

"After all, Ave is right. One less person to worry about means more water for everyone else."

I couldn't hold myself back any longer and jumped to my feet. Then, I grabbed a nearby cushion and threw it at him.

"Jasper! You are Sasha's father!"

How could he be so heartless and send his own daughter for a cryopreservation experiment just because of something Avery said?

Yet, Jasper simply frowned and said, "Nothing's happening to Sasha. Avery already said that the program is very safe. Sasha won't die, and she won't have to suffer either. It's good for her.

"We'll be able to revive her when we finally return with a larger water source."

I didn't know what to say to him anymore. Couldn't Jasper have thought that if the cryopreservation program was really as safe as he said it was, why wasn't everyone scrambling to sign up for it?

I gripped the toy in my hand and cried silently.

"I must return!"

I had to go back and save my daughter!

"What sort of nonsense are you spouting now?"

Jasper flung the cushion to the floor, his temper flaring. "Avery already said that the program was very safe!"

I had never sensed Jasper's favoritism toward Avery as clearly as I finally did now. Even if Sasha was about to die, and even if I told him I was going back alone, his focus was still on blaming me for not trusting Avery's words.

I clenched my fists.

"Don't worry. I'll take the blame for everything. I won't let you ruin your reputation because of this."

If we came out searching for water and returned empty-handed, that only meant that we had wasted precious resources for nothing.

Jasper's voice was hoarse as he growled through gritted teeth, "Fine. Go back if you really want to. However, even if I were the one who personally called for transport from the base camp, it would take them at least ten days to arrive."

If there were no transport to bring me back to the base camp, I wouldn't be able to find my way back there. It would also be impossible for me to walk there on my own.

Jasper knew that I had to rely on him.

However, I didn't need him anymore. My personal rescue vehicle was already on its way to save me.

I never planned on telling him that. I just cast him one final glance before going back into my room.

…

I couldn't stop thinking about Sasha at night and didn't manage to fall asleep.

In my blurry, half-conscious state, I could sense Jasper getting up from beside me and heading out the door.

I immediately went out after him without hesitation.

It was still unbearably warm at night since it was the apocalypse. Under the moonlight, I saw Avery running into Jasper's arms in a long slip dress.

Jasper gently wrapped his arms around her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"You gave me all that water. I was sure that Ari would get mad at you for that, so I came to check on you."

Jasper chuckled softly and let her into our quarters with affection in his eyes.

Avery then asked in a coquettish voice, "Aren't you worried that Ari would get the wrong idea?"

Jasper scoffed loudly.

"I was meant to be yours anyway. There's no need to care about her. She'll be going back in two days. Finally, we'll be left on our own. When that time finally comes…"

I closed my eyes. I couldn't believe that the young man who once refused to let me shed a single tear was now breaking my heart and making me cry over and over again.

The last bit of my love for him completely faded away.

I went back inside my room. Just as I'd lie down, I suddenly saw that Jasper had just received a message on his communication device.

"Dr. Curran, another base camp has already located the person who first invented the water detection device. They're on their way to bring the inventor back. Please find the new water source and return before they bring the inventor to their base."