Chapter 2

By the time the rescue divers dragged Ethan out from the bottom, his lips were blue and his pupils were blown.

There was a nasty, six-inch laceration across his lower back—carved open when he smashed into the underwater concrete slab.

His spine was crushed.

The paramedics’ faces went grim the moment they touched him.

Chloe sat on the riverbank wrapped in a thermal blanket, trembling like a leaf. Aside from swallowing a few mouthfuls of dirty water and scraping her forearm, she was perfectly fine.

Two ambulances arrived.

Ethan was loaded into the first one.

I climbed in behind the stretcher.

My phone rang. It was Evelyn.

"Evelyn, Ethan jumped into the reservoir to save Chloe."

Dead silence on the line for three seconds, followed by a piercing shriek.

"What did you say?! How is he?!"

"We don't know yet. The ambulance is rushing him to the ER."

Evelyn wailed hysterically: "Why didn't you stop him?!"

Holding the phone tightly, I stared down at Ethan’s limp body on the stretcher, my voice breaking into a choked sob.

"I screamed at him, Evelyn! He wouldn't listen to me! He was determined to save Chloe at all costs!"

The weeping on the other end hitched abruptly.

That struck right at the nerve.

Evelyn adored Chloe, that was true.

But no matter how much she loved Chloe, it could never outweigh her only son’s life.

At the hospital, Ethan was wheeled straight into the trauma OR.

When his father, Thomas, and Evelyn arrived, the red surgical light was glaring bright.

Evelyn charged over and grabbed my arm, her face drenched in tears.

"How is my son?!"

I shook my head weakly. "The surgeons are still inside."

She raised her hand to strike me across the face.

I didn't flinch.

Her hand froze in midair—the OR doors swung open, and a surgical nurse stepped out calling for family consent signatures.

"The patient has suffered severe spinal cord trauma. Our preliminary assessment shows extensive lower limb nerve damage. We need immediate authorization for emergency decompression surgery."

Evelyn’s slap never landed.

She lunged forward to sign the papers, her trembling hands barely able to grip the pen.

Thomas stood against the wall, lighting a cigarette that burned down to his fingers without him even noticing.

I quietly went down to the front desk to pay the deposits, arrange the admission paperwork, and fill out the insurance forms.

I had done all of this in my past life, too.

Except back then, I did it for Chloe.

The family had forced me to spend every cent of my savings and sacrifice my youth nursing a comatose woman, claiming it was my penance.

Now, the person lying under the bright lights was their golden boy.

Just before dawn, Chloe arrived.

She had changed into clean clothes, her eyes puffy and red, bursting into tears the moment she crossed the threshold.

"Evelyn, I'm so sorry... it's all my fault Ethan got hurt."

When Evelyn looked at her, her expression hardened.

In our past life, Evelyn looked at Chloe with boundless pity.

In this life, looking at Chloe only reminded her of one brutal fact: her son was currently butchered on an operating table because of this girl.

Chloe hurried over to me, grabbing my hands tightly.

"Nora, I swear I didn't mean for this to happen. The railing just snapped out of nowhere."

I patted the back of her hand, my tone endlessly gentle.

"I know. Nobody blames you. Go home and get some sleep. I'll take care of Ethan."

She bit her lip, stubbornly staying put.

"I want to wait until he comes out."

I didn't say another word.

However, the families waiting around the surgical lounge were already shooting cold glances at her.

Someone muttered under their breath: "Is that the girl he jumped in for?"

"The guy ruined his body saving her, and she’s standing around crying? How awkward."

Chloe’s face drained of color.

She let go of my hand and took an uneasy step backward.

The surgery lasted nine grueling hours.

When Ethan was wheeled out, he was completely pale, his lower half secured in heavy braces.

The chief surgeon pulled down his mask, exhaustion lining every crease of his face.

"We saved his life, but the spinal nerve injury is catastrophic. Long-term mobility depends on recovery, but realistically... he is likely facing permanent paraplegia from the waist down."

Evelyn collapsed to the floor right there.

Thomas braced himself against the wall, his lips shivering uncontrollably.

I stood beside them, eyes red, speaking softly: "Thomas, let me take Evelyn to the waiting room to rest. I’ll stay by Ethan’s bedside."

Thomas looked up at me.

That look was completely different from the past life.

In the past, he looked down on me—a girl who learned mechanics through an apprenticeship, supposedly unworthy of his college-educated son.

Now, he gave a heavy, defeated nod.

"Thank you, Nora. You're carrying this family."

***