Chapter 1: The Weight of Disaster

The sirens wailed in the distance, red and blue lights flickering across the shattered rooftops of Maple Heights. A toppled mailbox lay in the street, and a snapped American flagpole hung at a drunken angle from the ruined porch of the diner. The smell of burnt coffee drifted from its broken windows, mingling with dust and the metallic tang of disaster. Suddenly, floating comments appeared before my eyes.

[Is this girl for real? She has no idea her mom’s under there. If she lifts it, her mom’s done for.]

Meanwhile, Derek Barnes kept pushing me.

“Hurry up and help me lift this! If anything happens to Lillian’s dog, don’t even think about us getting married.”

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[Here it is—the girl who’d do anything for love is about to sacrifice her own mom.]

[The boyfriend has no clue either. Later, he’ll break it off out of guilt. He deserves it.]

[Glad our main girl and the boyfriend get their happy ending in the end.]

I stared at the rolling comments, heart hammering.

Was I losing my mind?

The collapsed area was Derek’s house—the perfect Maple Heights home, now a heap of debris. The blue shutters and hydrangeas I’d loved were buried beneath concrete and rebar. The ground trembled under my sneakers. None of it felt real.

A massive slab of concrete had come down. Only one end could be budged.

Derek was on the right, shoving aside rubble. His engagement ring, dulled from scraping debris, flashed as he worked.

He snapped, “What are you waiting for? Lillian’s Pomeranian’s been crying under there for twenty minutes. Hurry up!”

His voice cut through the chaos of rescue workers and neighbors crowding the street. From beneath the slab, I caught the faintest whimper—a little dog, trapped and terrified.

But what about my mom?

I stumbled to the other side and pressed my ear to the cold, gritty slab.

I prayed the comments were lying.

My mom was supposed to be in Pennsylvania. There was no way she could be here.

The memory of her last text—Enjoy the farmer’s market, sweetheart!—flashed through my mind. My hands went numb. I tried to remember her voice from this morning, safe and happy, not buried under concrete.

But then—I heard it. A muffled knock, just barely audible, like hope about to be crushed.

“We can’t lift it.” My voice shook, my face drained of color. “My mom is trapped on this side!”

[What’s she talking about? How does she know?]

[But the dog is a therapy dog. If it dies, Lillian might spiral again.]

I thought Derek would finally get it—save a person, not a dog.

But Lillian’s face crumpled. She pressed her bandaged hand to her chest, tears brimming. “Emily, please—I know you’re mad at me, but don’t take it out on Max. He’s just a dog.”

I felt my throat clench, words stuck like gravel I couldn’t swallow. Lillian was Derek’s neighbor’s little sister—and a professional victim.

Back then, I thought Lillian was just a lonely kid. Now, her every word felt like a trap.

Last time, I went with Derek to pick up my custom wedding dress.

She saw it and latched onto Derek’s arm, pouting, “I want to wear a wedding dress too. Derek, let me try it on for a photo, okay?”

My smile froze. The fabric was cold and smooth under my fingertips, the kind of white that looks blue under the store’s fluorescent lights.

Lillian batted her lashes. “When we were little, you said you’d marry me. I just want one photo, that’s all.”

Derek looked at me, helpless. I forced myself to be polite and said the dress was custom, and it might not fit.

Lillian’s eyes shimmered with tears, and she ran off. The next day, she showed up with her Pomeranian.

When no one was watching, the dog peed right on my wedding dress. The yellow stain bloomed across the satin. I stood there, stunned, as Lillian gasped in fake horror.

Derek remembered too. Now he looked at me like I was being petty.

He muttered, “How did you get so spiteful? Is this really the time to throw a fit?”

My head throbbed. I wanted to scream, but my voice kept catching. Didn’t anyone see how wrong this was?

I grabbed his wrist, desperate. “I’m not joking. I don’t care about any of that. I just want to save my mom!”

But Derek seized my wrist, his grip bruising. “Emily, have you made enough trouble?”

He forced my face toward Lillian. “You know she has depression. Why do you always have to steal the spotlight and make her lose Max?”

Lillian met my eyes, then wilted. “If you’re still angry, after Max is rescued, I’ll stay far away from you and Derek.”

She started to cry, her voice shaking. “Max is innocent. Please, don’t hurt him anymore.”

Her tears always worked. Even now, neighbors shot me dirty looks.

[Don’t cry, Lillian. Honestly, I’d save the dog.]

[Five years with that dog—he’s her lifeline.]

My head spun. That’s my mother!

My voice cracked, raw with panic. “Please, I’m begging you, just believe me for once!”

I dropped to my knees, tears streaking through dust. “Derek, my dad is gone. My mom raised me by herself. I can’t lose her too!”

My dad was a veteran. I remember the Fourth of July parades, my dad in his old Army cap, swinging me onto his shoulders so I could see the fireworks above the crowd. Later, during a flood, he lifted others up too—until he was swept away.

My mom nearly went with him, but she stayed for me. She gave me double the love. She just wanted me to be happy.

I can’t lose her. I don’t know how I’d survive.

Derek yanked me up by my collar.

He looked at me, confused. “So, are you trying to out-victim Lillian?”

“What?”

He pulled out his phone, flipping through photos of Lillian’s childhood, her in a hospital gown, clinging to her dog. “Lillian got depression after her parents died. I promised to protect her.”

“But I chose you. This is what you owe her... Lillian only has Max.”

I staggered back. Did he really expect me to always put Lillian first? Did marrying him mean sacrificing everything for her?

The comments swirled faster.

[He finally admits he’s guilty.]

[Was he thinking about his fiancée, or just the other girl’s pain?]

[Girl, run. You’re just the supporting act in someone else’s happy ending.]

Their words and the gritty air pressed in on me.

I sobbed, “So what? Because she’s hurting, I have to trade my mom’s life for her dog?”

Derek scowled, voice cutting. “You’re so stubborn. Even a dog cares more than you. You just can’t stand to see Lillian happy.”

He dragged me to the right side, his tone final. “We’ll talk about your mom after we save the dog. I don’t have time for this.”