I'd been so sure that a life with him meant happiness. That nothing could go wrong.
I never imagined that the person in his heart was never me.
After I died, Xavier held a press conference himself. He told the world that I was the other woman. That he and Tilda had always loved each other, and I was the one who'd forced my way between them.
After that, public opinion turned on a dime. I became the woman everyone felt entitled to curse.
Even my family wasn't spared. They never set foot in this country again.
And Xavier and Tilda walked into the spotlight together, the golden couple everyone envied.
This time around, I swore I would make them pay for every last thing they'd done.
The earthquake came soon after. People around me scrambled in every direction, searching for open ground. The building in front of me buckled and collapsed, exactly as it had before.
A second later, I saw Xavier sprint toward the wreckage, face white with panic. He dropped to his knees and started tearing at the rubble with his bare hands.
I had never seen him fall apart like this. He was screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Tilda! Where are you?!"
A question surfaced in my mind, sharp and bitter. If she mattered this much to him, why had he married me? Why had he been so good to me? Why hadn't he just married her from the start?
My hand drifted to my stomach. When I'd told him I was pregnant, his face had lit up with pure joy. And still, when it came down to it, he'd thrown me and our child away for Tilda Fox.
I watched him claw at the debris without stopping, his fingers shredded and slick with blood, until the rescue team arrived. He staggered toward them, voice cracking.
"Someone's trapped! Get her out!"
This time, Tilda was the only one buried. They pulled her free quickly.
The first thing she did was throw herself into Xavier's arms.
He held her, murmuring soft, gentle words against her hair. The sight drove into me like a needle, piercing so deep my whole body shook.
It didn't take long for the truth to find me—right there in their conversation.
Tilda had been nestled against Xavier's chest, her eyes rimmed red. The moment she noticed people nearby, she pulled away and retreated into a corner to keep up appearances.
But Xavier didn't care anymore. He went after her, pulling her back into his arms.
"Tilda, I was so afraid I'd lose you just now."