The Rescue Hero's Heartbreak During the Earthquake

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When the earthquake hit, my first instinct was to run home.

But as soon as I reached the gate of our neighborhood, I heard my wife's voice coming from the thick bushes nearby.

I walked closer and saw her. She was completely lost in a moment of passion with her first love.

Jace Sterling was panting, teasing her. "Baby, don't you have earthquake PTSD? Let me help you get over it today."

Another aftershock hit. My wife's terrified screams were mixed with a breathless, aching tremble.

In that moment, my burning heart turned to ash.

It was finally time to let go.

1.

The aftershocks were frequent.

People on the street were running for their lives, hands over their heads. A crowd of panicked residents poured out from the luxury villas.

The street was a chaotic mess. No one had the energy to care about anyone else's business.

Except for me. I felt like I had been frozen in time.

I stood silently on the sidewalk, my eyes fixed on the two people moving rhythmically in the bushes.

If they had just lifted their heads, they would have seen me.

But minutes passed, and neither of them even looked up.

My heart sank deeper into an abyss. The world in front of me seemed to lose all its color.

"Luna, tell me... who's better? Me or your husband?"

Before they finished, Jace purposely pushed her buttons, making Luna Lawrence moan out loud.

Her eyes were blurry with lust as she gripped Jace's arms tightly. "You... you're so much better..."

Hearing her shaky answer, Jace let out a low chuckle and bit her shoulder.

Luna let out a sharp cry. Her fingernails turned pink from the sheer force of her grip.

My hands, hanging by my sides, clenched into tight fists. My jaw was locked so hard it creaked.

Just as I was about to rush forward and tear them apart, Jace suddenly looked up. His eyes, filled with raw desire, met mine.

He curled his lips into a smirk and spoke in a deep, mocking voice.

"Hold on tight, Luna. I'm about to take you to heaven."

Luna obediently wrapped her arms around his neck.

My legs, which had just started to move, froze. My eyes were bloodshot with rage.

A second later, the bushes went silent.

At the same time, the earth began to shake violently again.

Luna didn't even have time to clean herself up. She frantically pulled down her dress to cover her body and grabbed Jace's hand to flee.

Jace followed her with a smirk. As they brushed past me, he suddenly yanked Luna to a stop.

"Baby, your husband is right here. Aren't you going to say hello?"

Luna's body went rigid. she turned her head mechanically and finally realized I was standing there.

Her eyes darted around in panic. "F-Finn... when did you get here?"

I let out a cold laugh. My eyes stung as they turned red.

"I've been here for a while."

Luna took a quick glance at me, then went silent.

Jace, however, let out a snort.

"Finn, buddy, I don't think now is a good time for a chat, do you?"

Right after he spoke, another aftershock hit.

Luna shrieked. She grabbed Jace's hand and ran toward the open plaza.

She didn't even give me a second look.

I watched their retreating figures and let out a bitter, low laugh. Then, I turned and walked in the opposite direction.

As I entered the complex, a hand suddenly grabbed me.

I turned around to see Luna. Her face was cold, yet filled with a strange kind of anger.

"Finn Fletcher, are you trying to die? Don't you know there's an earthquake? Why are you running inside!"

She dragged me to an open area. Once we were safe, she slapped me right across the face.

"Finn, if I wasn't afraid your parents would cry themselves to death, I would never have come back for you!"

Looking at her furious face, I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Jace was busy rubbing her wrist. They both stared at me.

Luna looked disgusted.

Jace, on the other hand, kept giving me provocative looks.

I clenched my fists, forcing down the turmoil in my chest.

"Luna, don't you think you owe me an explanation for what you were just doing?"

Luna glanced at me, then coldly looked away.

"You know I have earthquake PTSD. As my husband, you weren't there for me when it started. Jace was the one who showed up and took care of me."

"You should be grateful to him, but instead, you're using this tone with me."

"Finn, you're honestly pathetic."

I'm pathetic?

Her words were the real joke!

As a member of the Civic Rescue Corp, I hadn't rushed to the disaster zone immediately. Instead, I had risked my life to find her.

She wasn't grateful. She didn't care.

Instead, she blamed her cheating on me.

There was nothing left to say. I turned around and walked away.

2.

A full day passed, and the aftershocks slowly died down.

I put on my gear and headed to the hardest-hit area. I joined my teammates, racing against time to save those buried under the rubble.

As volunteers for the rescue team, we did everything fueled by passion and conviction.

Many people didn't understand us. They wondered why we did this dangerous work for no pay, even spending our own money on supplies.

Some people even left nasty comments on our official page, calling us a bunch of amateurs.

Whenever I saw those comments, it hurt for a long time.

But Luna used to always stand by me. She would encourage me and validate my work.

"Finn, don't listen to them. Don't look at the noise. What you're doing is incredibly meaningful. As long as I understand you, that's all that matters."

Hearing those words of comfort always made me feel better.

After all, I was the one who rescued Luna years ago. That was why she respected my mission so much.

With her support, I was always at the front lines whenever disaster struck.

I would always end up looking like a mess, covered in bruises and scars.

Luna used to cry over my injuries, her heart breaking for me.

But now, how did we end up like this?

In truth, I had known about her affair with Jace for a long time.

At first, I didn't want to believe that the woman who loved me so much could hurt me.

So, I didn't confront her. Instead, I tried even harder to be a good husband.

I wanted to use my love to save my marriage.

But Luna accepted all my kindness while refusing to cut ties with Jace.

I was lost, hurting, and desperate. So, I hired someone to look into Jace Sterling.

That was when I found out they weren't just childhood friends. They were each other's first loves.

Their romance had been legendary, but they broke up because Jace got distracted by someone else.

Now that he was back, he was full of regret and wanted her back.

Luna told him she was married, but she agreed to keep things "casual" and "intimate" with him.

When I heard that from the investigator, I felt a wave of helplessness.

I finally understood the meaning of a dead heart.

I didn't know how Luna found out I was investigating her.

But she realized I knew about the affair.

Before I could take any action, she confessed. She apologized and promised to cut Jace off and be a good wife.

Looking back, Luna's words were nothing but hot air.

It didn't matter anymore. I had decided to let go.

"Finn, you've been working for almost twenty-four hours straight. Go take a break."

My teammate, Wyatt Marshall, called out to me for the third time.

Seeing that I had no intention of stopping, Wyatt got fed up. He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the medical tent.

"Finn Fletcher, are you trying to kill yourself? Look at your gloves! They're shredded! Your fingers are a bloody mess!"

Wyatt forced me into a chair.

He pulled off my gloves and started disinfecting my wounds with alcohol.

I remained dazed until a sharp sting on my finger brought me back to reality. I hissed through my teeth.

Wyatt glanced at me and snorted. "Oh, so you can feel pain now? You were acting like a ghost out there!"

"Look at these injuries. If Luna saw this, she'd be in tears. Do you really want to put her through that?"

I looked at my fingers and smiled bitterly. "She won't care about me anymore."

Wyatt didn't hear me clearly. "What did you say?"

I shook my head and dropped the subject.

I looked out at the ruins of what used to be people's homes. Then, I put on a fresh pair of gloves and headed back to the rescue line.

3.

Two more days passed, and the rescue operation was winding down.

The injured were being moved to various hospitals.

Reconstruction efforts were already beginning.

I stayed at my post, going wherever help was needed.

Wyatt couldn't convince me to stop. Finally, he gave up.

"I can't handle you. I'm calling the only person who can!" he snapped before storming off.

I thought he was going to get the team captain.

But a while later, Luna showed up, looking frantic.

"Finn! Why haven't you been picking up my calls? Why aren't you resting!"

She grabbed me, her eyes red. "Finn Fletcher, do you have any idea how worried I was? Can you please have some responsibility and stop making people worry about you!"

"Enough!"

I couldn't take it anymore. I wrenched my hand out of her grip.

"Luna, look at yourself in a mirror. Look at how flushed your face is!"

"You still have that scent on you. Do I really need to spell out what you've been doing?"

Luna's eyes darted away. Her face turned ghost-white.

People nearby were starting to stare because of my raised voice, but I didn't care.

"Luna, I didn't want to humiliate you, but please stop being so fake!"

"It's making me sick to my stomach!"

Seeing that I wasn't going to give her any face, Luna burst into tears.

"Finn, how can you be so cruel? I came here because I'm genuinely worried about you, and you're just going to scream at me?"

She looked so fragile and victimized. Anyone watching would think I was the one mistreating her.

The air felt thin. Between the dust and Luna's non-stop sobbing, I felt like I was suffocating.

I pulled off my mask and walked away without another word.

4.

Luna couldn't find me again at the disaster site, so she started blowing up my phone.

I didn't answer a single call. Then came the barrage of texts.

"Finn, did you leave by yourself? I'm still at the site! Are you really heartless enough to leave me here?"

When I didn't reply, her tone shifted to a desperate one.

"Finn, I know why you're mad. I can explain the thing with Jace. Can we please meet and talk?"

I still didn't respond.

Once I cleared the rescue perimeter, I went straight to my lawyer's office.

I picked up the divorce papers I had asked him to prepare days ago. Holding them, I felt a massive weight lift off my chest.

I drove to the Westside district and checked into a hotel.

After scrubbing off the grime and blood, I fell into the first good sleep I'd had in days.

Maybe it was because I had finally decided to end the marriage, but I slept like a baby.

When I woke up, it was noon the next day.

I checked my phone and saw dozens of missed calls and messages.

Two of them were from Jace Sterling. They were particularly disgusting.

"Finn Fletcher, you've already lost. Luna's final destination is me."

The text was followed by a photo of him and Luna in an intimate embrace.

I looked at it once, then deleted it along with all the other unread messages.

I got up, showered, and finally called Luna back.

"Luna, let's meet. It's time to end this."

She sounded thrilled that I had reached out, but when she heard my cold tone, her excitement died instantly.

I gave her an address and hung up before she could say another word.

As night fell, I drove to the restaurant.

But before I could even get out of the car, I saw two people kissing under a streetlamp.

5.

A fine mist was falling, dancing under the glow of the streetlights.

I leaned against my car window and watched them.

The scene actually looked quite romantic.

Maybe the sound of my lighter flicking caught Luna's attention, because she suddenly looked over.

I gave her a small, mocking smile. Her expression shifted instantly. She pushed Jace away and ran toward me.

"Finn, let me explain!"

I took a long drag of my cigarette and blew the smoke in her face. "Go ahead. Explain."

Seeing my relaxed, indifferent attitude, Luna's eyes welled up with tears.

"Finn, don't be like this. You've never treated me this way before."

Jace walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. "Luna, I'm hungry. Let's go inside and eat."

Sure enough, as soon as he said he was hungry, Luna's fake guilt vanished. She looked at him with concern. "Okay, let's go."

Noticing I wasn't moving, she called out from a few feet away. "Didn't you want to talk? Let's eat together."

I slowly finished my cigarette before parking the car and heading into the private booth.

The waitress was just leaving with the menu. Luna turned to me.

"I ordered your favorites. Jace was hungry, so I told them to bring the food out first. We can add more later."

I nodded and sat as far away from her as possible. I watched them whisper and giggle like a couple of teenagers.

When the food arrived, Luna immediately started piling food onto Jace's plate.

She gave him oysters, asparagus, and red meatDeverything known for boosting a man's performance.

They shared a look. Jace gave her a wicked smirk, and Luna's face turned bright red.

I dropped my fork. "So, Luna, did you order a single thing that I actually like?"

Luna finally bothered to look at me.

Before she could speak, Jace chimed in with a snarky tone.

"Finn, you're a grown man. Why are you being such a diva? No wonder Luna says taking care of you is exhausting."

I snapped back. "I'm talking to Luna. Why is the dog barking?"

Before I could finish, Luna slammed her plate down and stood up.

"Finn Fletcher! Watch your mouth! Apologize to Jace right now!"

"That's rich. I've never heard of a husband needing to apologize to his wife's boy-toy!"

My words were too blunt. Luna stormed over and slapped me.

As the tension peaked, Jace put on a pathetic, hurt expression.

"Luna, don't be mad at Finn. It's my fault. I shouldn't have come tonight."

He made a move to leave, and Luna's eyes immediately filled with pity.

She held him back, then glared at me. "Finn, was driving Jace away your goal all along? Are you happy now?"

My cold laughter only made her angrier.

She stared at me. "Finn, that's enough! Apologize!"

My rage finally boiled over. I reached into my coat and threw the divorce papers at her face.

"Fine. Since you can't stand the sight of me, sign these. Let's be done with each other!"