On the Day of the Explosion, He Saved Her First

On Christmas Eve, heavily pregnant, I stood in the kitchen washing a mountain of dishes in freezing cold water. Suddenly, my husband Ethan's phone lit up on the dining table where he had left it. I tapped the screen. It was a delivery notification: "Your state-of-the-art smart dishwasher has been successfully delivered to Maple Court Apartments, Tower A, Unit 205." But our apartment was Unit 204. I tried to convince myself that Ethan was just trying to surprise me and got the unit number wrong. He had always been careless like that. He had even forgotten that today was the anniversary of his older brother's death. The very next second, a text notification popped up from an unsaved number: [Ethan, you're just like you've always been—you can't bear to see me suffer. The dishwasher arrived, and I felt your love along with it.] Ignoring the dull ache in my belly, I grabbed the phone and rushed across the hall. When Ethan answered the door bare-chested, the blood rushed straight to my head. The moment Ethan saw me, the smile vanished from his face. "What are you..." Before he could finish, a face all too familiar to me peeked out from behind him. Chloe. Ethan's late brother's widow. And the woman he had loved and yearned for his entire youth, yet never could have. It felt as if sharp blades were driving into the soles of my feet, paralyzing me with pain. Hickies ran across Ethan's skin, trailing from his neck all the way down to his chest. Every single mark was like a brand searing into my heart. And Chloe. She was wearing the exact same silk nightgown as the one I had on. It was the birthday gift Ethan had brought back for me from a business trip last year. I never knew. Turns out, he bought two. And his love had been split into two as well. Chloe's voice was sickeningly sweet, her eyes flashing with triumphant provocation. "Oh my, Susan, why are you running around with that big belly? You need to be careful, or you'll trigger early labor." Her fingertips trailed lightly across the edge of the towel wrapped around Ethan's waist. My chest tightened as if crushed by a boulder. I couldn't breathe. I knew that gesture far too well. That was Ethan's most sensitive spot. Every time after taking a shower, I used to wrap my arms around him from behind just like that. Back then, he would kiss me passionately. He called me his little temptress. He swore he would love me for the rest of his life. Yet I couldn't remember when it started—Ethan had simply stopped responding to my touch. I bit my lip so hard a bead of blood welled up. "Explain this. Why are you here? And why is she living right across from us?" Not long ago, the building manager clearly told me that a family of four had moved in across the hall. Before Ethan could speak, Chloe broke down in tears, crying like a fragile victim. "Susan, don't blame Ethan. I was the one who insisted on buying this place." "His brother passed away so early, and I just wanted to be closer to you guys so family could look out for one another." "Please don't misunderstand anything. Tonight, the two kids missed their dad and threw a tantrum. Ethan only came over to keep his niece and nephew company." I cut straight through her lies. "Using the kids as an excuse just to cover up your affair, aren't you?" I knew Ethan used to have feelings for Chloe. But he had sworn to me that the past was dead and buried. He promised that his present and future belonged solely to me, Susan. I believed him. And I was utterly, completely wrong. Ethan's face turned colder than the snow outside. "That's enough, Susan. That is vile. She is my brother's widow. We are completely innocent, and I won't let anyone drag her through the mud." Chloe practically collapsed into Ethan's arms, sobbing hysterically. "I'm just a widow, why do I have to be wronged like this? Ethan, if it weren't for the two kids, I wouldn't even want to go on living." Ethan pulled her tightly into his embrace, his eyes brimming with heartache. "Don't worry. I'm here. No one will ever bully you under my watch." His cold, blade-sharp glare cut through me, stripping away every ounce of my dignity. I couldn't believe it. This was the man I had stood by through thick and thin for seven years. My heart shattered completely at that moment. I looked at him and asked calmly, "Did the dishwasher arrive?"Ethan froze. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he averted his gaze from mine. He gave no answer. I looked past them and saw the massive cardboard box sitting right in the center of Unit 205's living room. A corner of the box was already torn open, revealing a sleek, brand-new stainless steel finish. Meanwhile, in my kitchen sink across the hall, freezing cold water was still running over the dishes. My voice came out as faint as a sigh. "So, you weren't being careless after all." Ethan parted his lips, but nothing came out. Chloe's voice was dripping sweet. "I just hate doing the dishes. It ruins my hands." "Ethan felt bad for me. Susan, don't overthink it. We're all family here." "Tomorrow is Christmas. Why don't you come over for dinner? I mean, I don't have many smart appliances here..." She dragged out her words intentionally. Her eyes flicked toward my freezing, purplish hands. "But at least I have plenty of hot water." With a dull snap, the skin over my knuckles cracked open in several places. Pus and blood oozed out together. My eyes widened in utter disbelief. "What? You have a water heater here?" Chloe replied nonchalantly, "Yeah, of course." I lost every shred of composure, completely breaking down as I hurled the phone at Ethan's guilty face. The screen flashed with that glaring delivery update. It felt as if rotten, bitter fruit were shoved down my throat. "Ethan! After your brother died in that water heater explosion, you were the one who swore you'd never let a single smart appliance into our home!" "You said it was a trauma, a scar, a constant alarm reminding your family of the loved one you lost forever!" "And I believed you!" "So even with this huge belly, I washed the dishes in ice-cold water all winter long! When my hands cracked from the cold, I put on gloves and kept washing!" "When I had gestational hypertension and the doctor ordered me on strict bed rest, I still dragged myself up to clean up after the whole damn family!" "I thought I was helping you heal your wounds!" My chest heaved violently, my voice trembling to pieces. "And what is this now?" "Turns out your trauma was cured a long time ago. You just didn't want to install a water heater for me. You just didn't want me using a dishwasher." "Because I'm not Chloe, so I wasn't worth breaking your rules for. Isn't that right?" Ethan's expression twisted into something monstrous. "Stop your damn nonsense! You don't know a thing about what happened to my brother—" "You're right, I don't!" I finally screamed, tears bursting out like a broken dam. "I don't understand how you could sleep with his widow on the very anniversary of his death!" "I don't understand how you could swear before his memorial picture that you'd never touch smart appliances, while turning right around to buy Chloe the newest high-end dishwasher!" "And I sure as hell don't understand how you could stand there watching me soak my hands in ice water like an idiot, while worrying that another woman's hands might get rough!" My accusations struck Ethan across the face like a savage slap. Yet the faint glimmer of guilt in his eyes vanished in an instant. A searing, twisting agony tore through my abdomen. I had to double over and lean against the wall for support. "Susan!"Ethan instinctively reached out to step forward, but Chloe caught his arm. "Ethan, Susan is completely unstable right now. What if you go over there and hurt the baby?" "I've had kids, I know how this works. Just let her go back and cool off on her own first." Ethan stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at her, then looked at me, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes. In the end, his low voice reached my ears. "Susan, go home first. I'll explain everything later." I wiped my tears away, every word dragged out from the depths of my lungs. "Do you remember the oath you took on your knees at his funeral?" Of course he remembered. It was pouring rain that day. Drenched from head to toe, Ethan knelt before the grave and repeated over and over: "Bro, I let you down. I swear I'll take care of her for you for the rest of my life. I won't let her suffer a single grievance." Back then, I stood behind him holding the umbrella, weeping with admiration. I thought it was pure brotherly devotion. Now I finally understood. It was a promise. A promise made to Chloe. I let out a laugh—a sound harsher and uglier than weeping. "You really kept her from suffering." "You did an amazing job." Another wave of tearing pain ripped through me, far more violent than before. I felt a rush of warm fluid trickling down between my legs. Ethan finally panicked and rushed over to support me. "Susan, you..." "Don't touch me!" I shoved his hands away, using the last ounce of my strength to defend whatever dignity I had left. A crease of impatience appeared between Ethan's brows. "Susan, stop making a scene." I repeated the words under my breath, then let out a bitter chuckle. "You think I'm making a scene?" Instinctively, my hand drifted to my belly. This was the precious life I had endured five grueling years of fertility treatments to conceive. Ethan had severe male-factor infertility. When the diagnosis came out, my parents and friends all begged me to get a divorce. But I was so deeply in love with him back then. Just the thought of losing him made me feel like dying. So I chose the most agonizing path to get pregnant. Pills, endless hormone injections, bed rest. My body was covered in dense, painful needle marks. I had nearly lost my life during the process. And all that sacrifice amounted to him brushing it off with two casual words: making a scene. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked at him in total despair. "Ethan, let's get a divorce."The crushing heartbreak combined with the physical torment drained the very last of my strength. My vision went black, and I finally surrendered to unconsciousness. When I opened my eyes again, the familiar smell of hospital disinfectant filled the air. Seeing that I was awake, Ethan rushed to press my hand against his cheek. "Susan, you're finally awake! Our baby is fine, don't worry." I stared at him for a quiet moment, then slowly pulled my hand from his warm grip and turned my head away. Ethan assumed I was still angry and began to explain with forced patience. "Chloe... she has two kids on her own, life is already hard enough for her. She can't be washing dishes in cold water." "Otherwise, my brother would never let me rest in peace, even in my dreams." I bit my pale lip and let out a bitter smile. "Isn't the baby in my stomach yours, Ethan? Why do I have to live like that?" A hint of mockery crept into Ethan's tone. "Susan, back when you worked as a dishwasher in that kitchen, didn't you wash everything in cold water anyway? Why are you being so delicate now?" "Chloe isn't like you. She's a pianist. You know how precious her hands are." "You've endured so much all these years. Can't you just bear it a little longer for me?" I stared at him in stunned silence, completely speechless. Back when his startup failed, I was the one working three jobs day and night to keep us afloat. I took care of his aging parents so he wouldn't have a single worry weighing on him. I even stayed up all night polishing his business proposals, helping his company secure its very first major contract. That was how he built his empire today. Yet in the blink of an eye, every sacrifice I made had turned into a weapon Ethan used to stab me. How utterly ridiculous. "Ethan, you are shameless." My words seemed to trample on his fragile male ego. Ethan threw his arm back and shoved my hand away violently. The IV needle ripped out, and blood instantly spurted from the back of my bruised hand. He didn't even care. "Susan, can't I talk any sense into you? Do you really have to pick a fight with me right now?!" Just as I opened my mouth, Ethan's phone rang. His tense expression instantly softened into gentleness. "Hello? Okay, don't panic, I'm on my way right now." Ethan stood up, grabbed his coat, and threw a heartless rebuke over his shoulder. "This is all because of you! Chloe's depression is flaring up again! If anything happens to her, I will never forgive you as long as I live!" The room went cold as he walked out. Feeling the faint flutters inside my belly, my heart died completely. I pulled out my phone and dialed my mother, who lived overseas. "Mom... I regret it. I never should have married Ethan." "I want to come home." Tears soaked into my hair as memories rushed back. To be with Ethan, I had cut ties with my parents all those years ago. We hadn't spoken in years. Yet I knew that the hundreds of thousands deposited into my bank account every year were their silent love and endless concern for me. On the other end of the line, a reassuring voice answered. "Sweetheart, as long as you've realized it, that's all that matters. This family will always have your back." "Mom will book your plane ticket right now." Hearing my family's comfort broke the dam holding back all my grief. I clutched the blanket tightly and sobbed until I had nothing left. It was as if I wanted to cry out every tear I had for the rest of my life. From now on, I would never shed a single tear for Ethan again. After the flight was booked, I went back home. I opened the drawer and pulled out the marriage certificate that had gathered dust, ready to demand a divorce. But when I sat down with a lawyer, his words dropped me straight into an icy abyss. "Ms. Vance, your marriage certificate is counterfeit. It has no legal validity whatsoever.""What?" My hands trembled as I took back the little booklet. Suddenly, memories of the day we supposedly registered our marriage flooded my mind. Ethan had said he had a close friend working inside the county clerk's office, so we didn't have to wait in line. He was the one who handled all the paperwork. Turns out, our entire marriage had been a complete sham from the very beginning. I was never his legal wife. And the child in my belly was born out of wedlock. "Ha... ha..." A wild, manic laugh tore from my throat as the realization hit me: all those years of devotion had earned me nothing but this grotesque joke. The love was fake. The marriage was fake. My heart was already covered in scars. Faced with this massive blow, I couldn't even feel the pain anymore. I packed a few clothes and pieces of jewelry. Dragging my suitcase in quiet disillusionment, I prepared to leave this painful place forever. The moment I stepped out the front door, Chloe blocked my path. Holding a medical report in her hand, she wore a radiant, triumphant smile. "Ethan just took me to the clinic for a checkup. What a coincidence—I'm carrying his baby too." "Just hit twelve weeks." So Ethan had betrayed me three whole months ago. Looking at Chloe's gloating face, not a single ripple stirred in my heart. Yet she had no intention of letting me walk away. She glanced at the torn marriage certificate in my hand and chuckled. "Back then, I made a little joke, telling him that if he really loved me, he wouldn't get married for ten years. Who knew he'd actually forge a marriage certificate just to trick you?" "Hahaha, he really is devoted, isn't he?" My heart sank into total darkness. I turned to walk away. Suddenly, Chloe shoved me violently straight into Unit 205. The next second, a massive shockwave slammed into my back, hurling me hard against the wall. At the exact same moment, a deafening blast shattered my eardrums. Instantly, raging flames swallowed me whole. Thick, suffocating smoke poured down my throat. Before I lost consciousness, I heard Chloe's and Ethan's voices calling out from not far away. "Ethan, my stomach hurts so bad! Save our baby, please!" "Don't be scared, honey, I'm carrying you out right now!" Mustering the last ounce of strength in my body, I reached out a trembling hand and screamed at the top of my lungs: "Ethan! I'm in here too! Save our baby!" Through the dense smoke, he cast only a single, cold glance in my direction, dropping a callous remark: "Once I get Chloe to safety, I'll come back for you." Ethan's retreating figure hurried away with absolute finality. Just as I expected, he abandoned me once again. As if sensing the betrayal, the tiny life inside my belly slowly stopped moving. I closed my eyes, letting one final tear slide down my cheek, my soul turning to ash. "Ethan, I will never wait for you again in this lifetime." BOOM! A second explosion tore through the room, sending towering flames roaring into the sky.