The mountain had collapsed. My mother-in-law, Helen, and I were trapped inside the crushed car. But when the rescue team arrived, I didn't cry out for help. Instead, I quietly searched for an exit on my own. Because I knew my husband would never choose to save me. In my past life, I had screamed frantically inside the deformed car cabin. My husband had dug through the rubble with his bare hands until his fingers bled to get us out. But after we were rescued, his childhood friend, Chloe, ran back into the danger zone out of jealousy. She was buried in the second landslide. After her death, my husband held me as I shook with fear, whispering that everything was fine as long as I was safe. He even took me on a hiking trip to help me clear my head. Yet, when we reached the peak of the mountain, he suddenly pushed me off the cliff. "It's your fault I lost the love of my life! Go to hell and rot!" When I opened my eyes again, I was back in that dark, suffocating space. "Jane, hang in there! I'm going to get us out!" I woke up in a cold sweat at the sound of that familiar voice. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw the crushed car door, deformed by falling boulders, scraping against my face. Panic surged through me. I immediately pulled Helen into the safest corner of the cabin. "Helen, don't try to push the door. Any movement could trigger another collapse." I scanned our surroundings and found a dropped water bottle. Pouring the last drops of water onto a small towel, I handed it to her to cover her nose and mouth from the thick dust. Outside, the sirens of rescue vehicles echoed. Helen's face lit up with hope. "Don't worry, Jane. Ethan is here with his rescue team. We're going to be okay." Looking at her hopeful eyes, I lowered my gaze and remained silent. The air in the car was growing thin. The temperature was dropping fast, and the muddy ground beneath our feet was freezing. Just as I got Helen settled, Ethan's voice boomed from outside. "Chloe! Chloe, are you in there?" "Don't worry, I'm coming for you!" As the sound of clearing rocks grew louder, a sliver of light pierced through the cracks. Through the swirling dust, I couldn't see clearly, but I could hear Chloe's pathetic whimpering. "Ethan... I'm under the big rock ahead. Save me... I'm so scared..." "Everyone, follow me! Don't waste time searching this area. Move up to the front!" Ethan commanded. Hearing their conversation, Helen suddenly clutched her chest, gasping for air. "That bastard... How could Ethan do this..." Before she could finish her sentence, she fainted from oxygen deprivation and sheer shock. Through the cracks, I watched Ethan's retreating back as he carried Chloe away. The cold seeped into my bones. Tears welled up in my eyes, cutting clean tracks through the dust on my face. In that moment, I choked back the scream for help that almost escaped my throat. *Ethan, in this life, I don't owe you anything anymore.* As Ethan disappeared with his muse, I adjusted my mask. I shifted my position to shield Helen, trying to find an escape route on my own. All the straining sent a sharp, agonizing pain through my ribs. It took everything I had just to stay upright. I was shielding Ethan's mother. And there we were, trapped in the dark ruins of the landslide, listening to their voices fade into the distance. "Chloe, is there anyone else in that car?" "No, Ethan. Jane... she had a fight with me and suddenly grabbed the steering wheel. The car hit the cliff and triggered the slide. She jumped out and ran away..." "That despicable woman! When I find her, I'll make her pay for this!" My body went limp. The physical and emotional pain made it almost impossible to breathe. A second later, another rescuer's voice echoed: "Captain! I think I heard something over there." "I feel like someone might still be trapped under here. What if Jane is in there?" "Chloe already said Jane caused this! Do you think a murderer would stick around to die?" Ethan snapped. "Everyone, move out! Chloe has external injuries. Our priority is getting her to the hospital!"
Enduring the agonizing pain, I tried to squeeze through a small gap. Beside me, Helen was awoken by the dust. Coughing violently, she grabbed my arm and began to scream for help with all her might. "Ethan! You ungrateful bastard! Your wife and your mother are buried in here! Who are you taking to the hospital?" I froze, listening closely to the sounds outside. But the footsteps and the scraping of shovels had already faded. Ethan was long gone. Suddenly, the urgent voice of another rescue worker pierced the silence: "Captain! Over here! We found an elderly woman trapped under the chassis. She still has a pulse!" Then, Ethan's cold, irritated voice crackled through the walkie-talkie: "Leave her for now! Chloe said her mother was in the car earlier, and after the fight with Jane, she probably got out before the crash. She's likely just nearby. Focus all resources on getting Chloe to the hospital first! Her injuries are severe. As for the old woman... let the backup team handle it." Hearing her own son's heartless words, Helen's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. She gasped for air, suffocated by shock, and blacked out completely. Above us, a loose boulder crashed down, completely sealing the small gap of light we had just seen. With trembling hands, I poured the very last drop of water onto Helen's dry lips. She was unconscious and couldn't swallow. Time ticked away. Despair settled over me. For a moment, I truly believed we weren't going to make it out alive this time. The temperature kept dropping, and my limbs began to go numb. Just when all hope seemed lost, Ryan's voice shouted from above: "Captain! Wait! This looks like your mother! She's wearing the scarf your mom had on today!" A flurry of chaotic noises followed, and Ethan's voice, cracking with panic, blasted through the radio: "What?! Look closer!" But there was no time for explanations. Ryan was already digging furiously with his tools. Soon, a figure cleared the debris, shining a flashlight on us. Unable to hold on any longer, I finally blacked out. When I opened my eyes again, Helen and I had been moved to a temporary medical tent by the road. Her face was pale, and she was hooked up to an oxygen mask as EMTs rushed her into an ambulance. The one who had saved us was Ryan, Ethan's colleague. Covered in dirt, he looked at me with a complicated, exhausted expression. "Jane... Ethan... he thought it was your mother under there, so he... he gave that order. I got Helen onto the ambulance first, but the delay..." He slumped to the ground, completely drained. The ambulance rushed us to the hospital. Because of the delayed rescue, Helen was in critical condition and was sent straight to the ICU. I was admitted to a general ward for a cracked rib and multiple lacerations.
When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. Ethan had rushed to the hospital upon hearing the news. But of course, he went to Chloe's room first. When he finally showed up at my door, there was no concern on his face. Only blinding rage and disgust. Ignoring the nurse's protests, he slammed the door open and slapped me hard across the face. "You crazy bitch! Are you and your mother insane? Why did you grab the wheel and try to kill Chloe? Now even your own mother is paying for your sins!" My head snapped to the side, my ears ringing violently. The sharp pain in my ribs made my vision go black. I stared at the man I had once loved with all my heart. His eyes held nothing but pity for Chloe and utter disgust for "my mother" who had been hurt. Chloe stood right behind him, her arm wrapped in a clean bandage, clutching his jacket like a frightened child. "Ethan, don't be too hard on Jane. Her mother... she didn't mean to do it. She was just too emotional at the time..." She coughed right on cue, spitting up a tiny speck of blood. The sight of that blood triggered Ethan. He spun around and kicked my bed rail violently, making a deafening metallic screech. "You evil monsters! You almost killed Chloe! Your mother got exactly what she deserved! Why didn't you just die under those rocks?" He loomed over me, his eyes filled with pure hatred, as if my mother and I were the most disgusting creatures on earth. I didn't even have the energy to argue. I could only manage a raspy whisper: "That's your mother... Helen..." Ethan let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Now you're calling her 'mother' to gain sympathy? Why didn't you think about that before you caused the crash? Your mother is rotting in the ICU right now, and it's pure karma!" Just then, a nurse ran in frantically. "Mr. Collins! The elderly female patient in ICU Bed 3 is crashing. The doctor needs the family to..." Ethan waved his hand dismissively. "I get it! That's Jane's mother, right? Let Jane handle it! We need to focus on Chloe here!" The nurse froze. She looked at me, then at Ethan, her mouth opening and closing before she finally sighed and walked out. Ethan glared at me one last time. "Don't look at her, Chloe. It's bad luck," he whispered gently, wrapping his arm around her as they walked out of my room.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "448277", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster