The second time, she damaged my oxygen tank. I nearly suffocated in a sealed tunnel.
Renald led a six-hour search before finding me unconscious.
She harmed me; he saved me.
Again and again.
Until the very last time.
Lorraine triggered a gas explosion in my work area. My entire body was burned, my lungs destroyed.
As they carried me away on a stretcher, I used the last of my strength to beg Renald to call the police.
He crouched beside me and shook his head gently.
"Danica, Lorraine didn't mean it. Her parents died saving my mother. For my sake... just let it go, alright?"
At that moment, my heart died completely.
——
The next day, when I woke up in the mining hospital, the first thing I did was call his mother.
I knew she had never liked me.
"Mrs. Montgomery," I said, my voice terrifyingly calm. "I agree with the divorce."
There was a brief silence before her firm, almost relieved reply came through, "I'm glad you've come to your senses. I'll have someone bring the papers. Just sign them."
Not long after I hung up, the Montgomery family's lawyer appeared in my room, politely handing me the divorce agreement.
Tears blurred my vision as memories of Renald flooded back uncontrollably.