Graham's heart froze . He hauled the limp figure from the churning floodwaters , catching her face in the dim , flickering light . It was Evelyn . Her face was ashen , her eyes shut tight , a gash on her forehead leaking thin streams of blood . Unconscious , she clutched two sodden books as if they were lifelines . Panic and grief surged through Graham like a tidal wave . His trembling fingers sought her pulse - faint , almost imperceptible . " Evelyn ! Evelyn , come on , wake up ! " He tapped her cheeks gently , his voice cracking with sobs as he pulled her close , using his body to shield her from the rushing current and drifting debris . They had to get out . Now . A sickening groan echoed from above . The flood's relentless pounding had finally compromised the crumbling building's foundation . A fractured beam , tangled with bricks and sludge , plummeted toward them . Without thinking , Graham shoved Evelyn into the relative safety of a corner alcove , throwing himself into the path of the collapsing wreckage . Boom ! The heavy thud resounded , laced with the faint snap of breaking bone . Graham's vision blurred . Blood surged in his throat , and he coughed it out , the warm spray splattering across Evelyn's pale face and clothes . The impact drove him to his knees in the water , but his arms , rigid as steel , braced on either side of her , carving out a fragile pocket of safety with the last of his strength . Pain and suffocation engulfed him . He stole one final glance at the unconscious woman beneath him before darkness claimed him . When he came to , he was on a jolting rescue boat , icy rain stinging his face . Voices pierced the storm's roar : " This one's alive ! He's hurt bad - hurry , to the hospital ! " Chapter 20 86.96 % " There's a woman too ! He was shielding her - she's still breathing ! " Graham tried to open his eyes , to ask if she was okay , but his body refused to move . Darkness swallowed him again . Banner City Hospital was a maelstrom - overflowing with the wounded , grieving families , and the pungent mix of antiseptic , blood , and damp mold . The weight of despair pressed down on everyone . Evelyn woke on a makeshift cot in a crowded hallway . Her forehead was bandaged , her body scraped and bruised but intact . A nurse explained she had a mild concussion and minor cuts , and needed monitoring for aspiration pneumonia , but she would pull through . " The man who brought you in ... " The nurse hesitated , her face shadowed . " He's in bad shape . Multiple spinal fractures , internal bleeding , lung damage . He's still in surgery . He took the hit to save you . " Evelyn's heart clenched . Her mind flashed to the last moment before she blacked out - Graham's bloodshot eyes , blazing with panic and resolve , and the scalding spray of blood he'd coughed up . She dragged herself off the cot and stumbled toward the surgical ward . In the hallway , a few mud - caked soldiers slumped on benches - Graham's aide , Frank , and some of his old comrades , their faces etched with worry . Frank stood when he saw her , eyes red . " Ms. Hart ... the General ... " She raised a hand , silencing him . She didn't need to hear it . Leaning against the cold wall , she stared at the harsh red light above the operating room door , her emotions twisted into a chaotic knot . She was stunned . He had thrown himself in harm's way - risked his life - to save her . The raw fear in his eyes , the unhesitating way he had shielded her - it was real , undeniable . But beneath that flicker of warmth , a colder current of fear and resistance surged . She couldn't erase the past - the way he'd abandoned her at the funeral , his silence while she lay in a hospital bed , the bowl of chicken soup he'd forced on her when she was at her lowest , the rat - infested room where he'd left her trapped , haunted by nightmares . She was terrified of him . Chapter 20 86.96 % Even more , she feared letting herself soften . She had fought too hard to crawl out of that abyss . She wouldn't fall back in . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!