I had never gotten such treatment.
In the years since I married Lucas, all that I received was his ire, coldness, blame, and derision.
To him, my life was not worth a hair on Shevonne’s head.
Thus, he was not coming to save me.
The tourists around me who saw the news had various expressions. Yet, their desperation to live urged them to call Lucas anyway.
When Lucas got the call, he sounded very impatient.
“Hello, who is this?”
“Mr. Devine, I’m stuck with your wife, Elise Avignon, at the airport—”
“When will you give it up? How much did that scheming woman pay you to put on this show? I’ll pay double for you all to shove off!”
“Mr. Devine, haven’t you seen the news? We’ve had an earthquake warning. Everyone’s evacuating!”
“I’ve not seen any news. Would my assistant not tell me about an earthquake?
“Is Elise beside you? I’m warning you, Elise. Don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because my mother likes you. I only love Shevonne!”
At that point, one of the members of the rescue team could not take it any longer. He tried to take over the conversation.
“Mr. Devine, please calm down. I’m a member of the rescue team in charge of evacuation.”
Lucas finally started to believe the situation was real. Yet, the next second, Shevonne’s voice came through the line.
“Elise, are you feeling jealous after seeing the news? Lucas is a public figure, you know. Have you considered what kind of bad press lying about a natural disaster will do to him?”
Some of the others could not stand to hear such a thing. One of them snatched the phone and switched the call to a video call to show the tourists stuck at the airport.
“Mr. Devine, we’re not lying. Lives are at stake. Please come and save us!”
Everyone waited for Lucas’s reaction with bated breath. Shevonne whined at that moment, which attracted Lucas’s gaze for a second.
Then, Shevonne ended the call.
Silence reigned in the area for a moment before the earthquake warning let out another deafening shriek.
This warning was different from the others. It did not stop, but rang continuously. At the same time, the ground trembled beneath our feet.
Everyone stumbled and fell to the ground.
The rescue team sent to evacuate us immediately brought me away in search of somewhere to shelter.
Luckily, the first shake was not very strong. The trembling ground soon calmed.
As everyone started comforting each other, the whir of a helicopter came from above.
Someone looked up and excitedly nudged me.
“Ms. Avignon, your husband is here to get you!”
The helicopter slowly descended. Soon, a rope ladder was thrown down.
Lucas looked down with a cold expression.
