After My Rebirth, My Ex-Husband Begged on His KneesChapter 1
Everyone in the Capital Circle said the same thing: Xavier Henson loved me like I was his whole world.
No matter how many women threw themselves at him, he never so much as glanced their way. He'd made his promise in front of everyone.
"Maggie Pruitt is the only woman I'll ever love. No one could ever take her place."
Then the earthquake hit.
His stepmother and I were trapped in the same stretch of rubble. Xavier Henson, the man who never lost his composure, was screaming at the rescue team like a man unhinged.
"Get her out first! My stepmother! Did you hear me? Her first!"
I was curled around my swollen belly, shielding it with everything I had.
"Xavier, please... save the baby... he hasn't even been born yet..."
He didn't spare me a single glance. Not even from the corner of his eye. He just kept shoving the search-and-rescue workers aside, howling at them to dig in her direction.
That woman, his so-called "elder," walked out without a scratch.
My baby and I were buried under steel and concrete forever.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Ten minutes before the earthquake.
I didn't warn Xavier.
Instead, I forced my trembling legs to carry me out the door and dialed my father's number.
"Dad, Xavier's lost his mind. I want a divorce."
——
I made it to the open field and collapsed into a crouch, gasping for air. The memory of being crushed under the rubble was still seared into every nerve. I could feel the weight of it, the dust filling my lungs, the silence that came after.
I pulled up my phone again and called my best friend, the divorce attorney Renata Simmons.
"Where are you right now? The earthquake hits in five minutes. Find somewhere safe. Now."
"Trust me!"
Renata didn't ask questions. She threw on clothes and ran to an open lot. Once I knew she was safe, I kept talking.
"I need to figure some things out. I'm going to need your help after this."
"Done."
I hung up and looked back toward the building.
In this new life, I hadn't told Xavier Henson or Tilda Fox about the earthquake.
If the two of them were so deeply devoted to each other, it would be a shame for them not to experience the thrill of life and death firsthand.
In my previous life, Xavier had treated me like a treasure. He indulged my every whim, catered to my every need. Everyone in our circle knew it. I'd believed it too.