Chapter 1

Five years into my relationship with Ethan Vance, I accompanied him and his childhood friend, Chloe Brooks, on an adventure trip to the barren canyons of Utah.

When a sudden flash flood hit, Ethan tied the only life-saving rope around Chloe, leaving me behind in the raging, muddy torrents.

"Chloe has severe claustrophobia, Summer. I have to pull her up first! Just hold on to the rock and don't move!"

I soaked in the freezing, bone-chilling floodwaters for five agonizing hours, nearly dying in the middle of nowhere. Yet, all I got from him later was a text:

"Chloe is severely traumatized. Find your own way back with the rescue team."

I simply threw the engagement ring he gave me into the desert sands, turned around, and left without looking back.

The wind in the Utah Canyon carried coarse sand, scraping against my face like a sharp blade.

This was the fifth year of my relationship with Ethan. This trip was originally planned as our pre-wedding photoshoot.

But there was an extra person on this trip—his childhood best friend, Chloe.

The disaster struck without warning. The once-clear sky suddenly darkened, and a massive storm upstream triggered a rare, violent flash flood.

The muddy water, carrying broken branches and sharp rocks, roared through the narrow canyon like a wild beast.

The water level rose rapidly, swallowing our calves in just a few minutes.

"Ethan! I'm scared!" Chloe shrieked, clutching Ethan’s arm tightly. Her face was as pale as paper, her whole body trembling.

We were trapped on a slightly elevated rocky ledge, but it was too low. The floodwaters would soon submerge it.

The rescue team above threw down a single rescue rope. But because of the wind and the tricky terrain, they could only pull one person up at a time.

Without a second thought, Ethan grabbed the thick rope and quickly, expertly tied it around Chloe’s waist.

"Ethan..." I stood in the knee-deep mud, struggling to stay upright against the strong current. I instinctively reached out and grabbed his jacket.

He turned his head. There was panic in his eyes, but more than that, there was a cold, absolute decision.

"Summer, Chloe has severe claustrophobia. The canyon is too narrow and dark; she’s going to have a panic attack. I need to get her up first."

"But the current is getting stronger, and I don't know how to swim..." My voice was drowned out by the roaring flood, sounding weak and desperate.

Ethan forcefully pried my fingers off his jacket and pressed my hand onto a sharp, protruding rock beside us.

"Hold on tight to this rock. Don't move. The rescue team will throw a second rope down soon. You’ve always been the strong one. Just wait for me, okay?"

With that, he wrapped his arms around Chloe and shouted to the top: "Pull!"

I watched helplessly as he shielded Chloe, slowly rising out of the dangerous muddy pit under the pull of the rescue team.

In mid-air, Chloe turned her head and looked down at me. There was no fear in her eyes. Only a smug, barely perceptible smirk.

The second rope never came down.

Another wave of flood crested from upstream. A massive wall of water slammed against the rock, sweeping me entirely into the freezing mud.

"Help..." Mud and sand rushed into my nose and mouth. The suffocating darkness instantly consumed me.

I struggled desperately in the water, my fingernails clawing into the cracks of the rock until they bled, just to keep myself from being swept away.

Those five hours were a living hell.

The freezing water drained the last bit of warmth from my body. My consciousness began to fade, and my life with Ethan over the past five years flashed before my eyes.

I thought that after surviving the hard early days of starting his business and spending countless nights supporting him, I would finally become Mrs. Vance.

As it turned out, in a matter of life and death, I was just an option that could be discarded at any time.

In the end, a local cowboy passing by spotted me half-dead. He used his lasso to drag me back from the grip of death.

I didn’t even know how I managed to get back to the desert lodge.

My body was covered in cuts and bruises, my clothes soaked in mud. The cold wind made my teeth chatter violently.

I pushed open the door of our lodge room. The heater was running high, filling the room with warmth.

Ethan was sitting by the bed, holding a warm mug of chamomile tea. He was gently blowing on it before feeding it to Chloe.

Chloe had changed into a clean, soft bathrobe, leaning against the pillows with red, teary eyes.

Hearing the door open, Ethan looked up. The moment he saw me, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Why do you look like a total mess? Didn't I tell you to come back with the rescue team?"

There was no relief in his voice. Only blame.

I stared at him, my throat so dry I couldn’t make a sound.

Chloe shrank back slightly, her voice sweet and innocent. "Summer, please don't be mad at Ethan. I was so terrified, I couldn’t let go of him. That's why he couldn't go back for you. You're soaking wet, you should go take a hot shower."

I dragged my stiff legs into the bathroom and turned on the faucet.

But the water running from the shower head was ice-cold.

As it turned out, the hot water supply at this remote lodge was limited. The only tank of hot water had already been used by Ethan to fill the bathtub for Chloe.

I slid down against the cold tiles, water dripping down my face. I couldn't tell if it was the shower water or my tears.

Five years. Even if you raise a dog for five years, you develop feelings, don't you?

I dried myself, changed into clean clothes, and pulled out my phone. Silently, I canceled the round-trip flight I had booked for the two of us and booked a single ticket back to Los Angeles for tomorrow morning.

This time, I was done waiting.