Rejected and Abandoned, Until the Right Man Found Me

"I have everything now, please, don’t leave me. I can’t bear it…"

By the time his words faltered, the tears began to fall, each one heavy and relentless, like stones crashing into the depths of my heart.

I was numb, yet my legs moved on their own. I followed him out of the car, my heart pounding with each step as we neared the fiery chaos, the scene surrounded by a sea of onlookers and rescue teams.

While others scrambled to escape, Mathias was the only one pushing forward, desperate to dive into the flames.

Fear seized me, and instinct took over. I grabbed his hand and held him back with everything I had.

"Mathias, you don’t know how intense the fire is or what’s inside! Charging in like this is madness!"

"The rescue team’s already here. They’ll bring her out!"

I had lost my parents to flames; I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Mathias, too.

But without warning, he jerked my hand away, his force pushing me to the ground with an intensity I hadn’t seen since that day at the auction.

I crashed to the earth, my ankle protesting, the bandages soaked in a sickly mix of red and yellow. Yet, the pain in my body was nothing compared to the torment searing my heart.

Mathias didn’t even spare me a glance.

"I can’t lose Nathalia again."

"No one can stop me!"

And with those words, he turned and rushed straight into the fire.

In that instant, the world around me blurred, and I was back in that inferno, watching helplessly as flames devoured everything I loved.

I couldn’t let Mathias face the same tragedy.

Without a second thought, I ran after him.

But I barely took a few steps before a beam crashed down, striking my leg.

The pain hit me like a tidal wave, and I crumpled to the ground, helpless. All I could do was shout, desperate to be heard, hoping someone would come.

The smoke choked me, the air thick and suffocating as it stung my throat.

Then, out of the haze, a pair of hands reached for me, warm and firm, pulling me into safety.

They seemed to be asking how I was, but I couldn’t answer. My voice had abandoned me, hoarse and weak. Through my blurred vision, I could barely make out the person’s face.

Before I lost consciousness, all I could hear was the frantic shout of someone above me,

"She's seriously injured! Get her to the hospital immediately!"

When I woke in the hospital, the world outside buzzed with news. Mathias had pulled Nathalia from the flames, and their love story was now a legend.

"Ten years of devotion, unwavering until death."

"True love reveals itself in times of crisis."

"Only death can tear them apart."

The comment sections were flooded with praise, while others couldn’t hide their venom, calling me a homewrecker who had schemed my way into his life.

Hiding behind the banner of “true love conquers all,” they called me a shameless woman, determined to tear Mathias and Nathalia apart.

Even the nurses who tended to me couldn't help but throw disdainful glances my way.

Some even whispered just outside my hospital room.

"Did you hear? Mathias ran out of his engagement party straight into the fire for her."

"Everyone's saying his fiancée's position is about to change hands."

"I’d say it’s a done deal."

"Well, it’s what Irene deserves. She shouldn’t have meddled."

"She was just deluding herself. The two women are in the same hospital, only one floor apart. But how many times has Mathias been here? Nathalia barely got a scratch on her, and he’s called in the best doctors, staying by her side day and night, treating her like she’s the world’s most precious gem."

"Sigh, if only I could meet a man as devoted as Mathias…"

Their voices faded, drifting down the corridor like the remnants of a storm.

I simply closed my eyes, letting silence wrap around me like a suffocating shroud.