Chapter 1
Years ago, Regina Whiteman sacrificed her hands to secure Matthew Quinn a bright future and a marriage that looked perfect in the eyes of others.
Decades later, in the intensive care unit, Matthew was on his deathbed.
"G-Gina," he murmured.
"I'm here," Regina replied softly.
Matthew's cloudy eyes stared at the ceiling, as if he could see through the white walls to a distant past.
"I-If you hadn't saved me, how much better things might've been," he said, his voice trembling.
Regina's whole body shook, tears streaming down her face.
She thought he was feeling sorry for her, regretting her ruined hands, still aching for her even at the very end.
But she didn't know that Matthew's final thought wasn't sorrow for her sacrifice. It was a deep, lifelong regret that weighed on him.
*****
Amidst the violent jolts and deafening roars, Regina bolted awake.
Instead of the white hospital room, she saw a gray sky and dust flying everywhere.
All around her were piercing screams, desperate cries for help, and the heavy rumble of collapsing buildings.
She was stunned, staring at her own hands. mud-caked but young and strong.
She looked around at the soldiers in uniform and medics in white coats rushing and shouting.
Was this... the earthquake site?
The place that left a mark on her soul and changed her entire life?
Did she really come back?
Did she get a second chance, all the way back decades ago, to the day Matthew was buried, and she threw herself in to save him?
The shock stunned her into silence, but her body moved faster than her mind could follow.
Her gaze immediately fixed on the familiar ruins ahead.
The makeshift comms point of the Regional Command was now a mangled heap of debris.
Matthew lay buried beneath it all.
Memories from her past life surged like a tide.
In that life, she saved Matthew at the cost of hands that could never hold a needle again.
That sacrifice earned them decades of standing by each other.
He rose to power as a respected Regional Commander.
She was the gentle, virtuous wife, devoted to supporting her husband and raising their children.
He was the high-ranking Regional Commander.
She was the Commander's wife, envied by everyone.
But deep down, a lingering regret gnawed at her.
She watched her former comrades shine brilliantly, while she spent her life stuck in the shadows, never stepping into the spotlight.
She had envied them deeply.
She longed to shine just as brightly as they did.
Now, given a second chance, what path would she take?
Remembering how Matthew was still pained by her ruined hands in his final moments, she didn't hesitate but charged straight toward him.
Though her past life held regrets, she never once regretted her choice.
This time, she would stand by her decision.
No matter what, she would save him.
She dropped to her knees in the rubble, digging with her bare hands without a second thought.
Her nails split instantly, blood mixing with the dirt.
"Matthew, Matthew, hang in there," she shouted hoarsely, moving faster and more desperately, as if she couldn't feel the pain.
From beneath the rubble came a faint response, thick with pain but tinged with an unusual urgency.
"Regina? Is that you? Get away from here!"
Regina froze, thinking she must have misheard.
He was telling her to leave?
She never heard him say that in her previous life.
"It's dangerous here! Aftershocks are coming! You need to get out now!"
Matthew's voice grew sharper, laced with an unfamiliar mix of anger and something like fear.
Regina clenched her jaw and dug even faster. "No way! I have to get you out of there!"
"I don't want you saving me. Just go!" Matthew pleaded desperately.
A sharp pain gripped Regina's heart. He was so stubborn, refusing to let her ruin her hands like last time.
She wanted to tell him that she traveled back. This time, things would be different. She wouldn't make the same mistake.
Her digging became even more frantic.
"Regina... I'm begging you... Please don't save me, alright?"
Regina's hands stopped moving.
She looked up, and through a gap in the rubble, locked eyes with Matthew.
Those once deep and solemn eyes were now bloodshot, swirling with pain, pleading, and even a hint of despair.
"I don't want... I don't want to live that kind of life again..."
He gasped, his voice lowering, but it struck Regina like a hammer to the heart.
Live that kind of life again?
What kind of life?
The decades they spent together?
A chill crept up her spine.
Regina realized Matthew had traveled back too.
But he no longer wanted to live with her.
Matthew's words shook her to the core, leaving her stunned.
She knelt there, dazed, her hands refusing to move.
"Over here! Hurry, there are still people trapped below!"
Another medical rescue team arrived on the scene.
Hearing the call, Matthew's eyes, once dim with despair, suddenly flared with a fierce light.
He summoned all his strength and shouted toward the rescuers, "Dr. Lynn... Evelyn, I'm here!"
Evelyn?
Regina turned toward the voice and saw a slender, delicate-looking female doctor in a white coat rushing over.
But the way Matthew looked at Evelyn stabbed Regina's heart.
It was the thrill of reunion after a long separation, the deep affection of something precious regained.
Evelyn simply gave Regina a brief nod and immediately crouched down.
"Sir, hold on! We'll get you out soon!"
Regina watched as they swiftly cleared the debris, and soon, Matthew's trapped upper body was revealed.
Just then, another violent aftershock struck, the ground trembling as debris rained down from above.
"Watch out!" Evelyn shouted, moving to shield Matthew.
But almost simultaneously, Matthew, with his lower body pinned under a heavy concrete slab and unable to move, suddenly stretched out his arm, throwing himself between Evelyn and the falling debris above her head.
A fist-sized rock slammed into his forearm with a dull thud.
He grunted, brow furrowed in pain, yet held his protective stance without flinching.
Regina stared in shock.