Chapter 4

The rescue that changed everything happened in my second year of knowing Ryan.

Heavy rain caused a landslide, burying an entire village.

Ryan led the team at the forefront, with his lifelong friend Leo Sanders covering the rear.

No one noticed the massive boulder teetering overhead.

"Ryan!" Leo's voice cut through the curtain of rain.

The moment Leo pushed Ryan away, the boulder came crashing down.

"No!"

Ryan rushed towards the rubble like a madman, held back by three team members.

Back at the SAR team compound, he knelt in the rain, his whole body shaking like a wounded animal.

It was the first time I had seen him lose control.

Ryan, who was always calm and composed, could actually be driven to such despair.

Leo was Ryan's brother in all but blood. They had grown up together, joined the military together, entered the special forces together, and later retired to join the SAR team together. Their relationship was closer than real brothers.

When Leo was rescued, his heart had already stopped beating.

The doctor said that even if they could save him, he would need a heart transplant, and the treatment would cost at least five million dollars.

"Please, you must save him," Ryan gripped the doctor's hands, his voice hoarse. "I'll find a way to pay, no matter how much it costs."

But he had only recently retired from the military, and his salary was mostly going towards his mortgage.

His teammates pitched in, a thousand here, ten thousand there, but they only managed to gather half a million.

I watched him pacing back and forth in the hospital corridor, his eyes bloodshot as if he hadn't slept for days.

"It should have been me," he kept saying. "Why did he save me?"

At that moment, I felt like I was suffocating from heartache.

I couldn't hold back anymore.

"I can donate my heart," I pushed open the door and walked in. "My tissue type is a perfect match for Leo."

Ryan jerked his head up.

"Are you crazy?" His voice was raspy. "You'll die!"

I smiled at him and whispered in his ear: "Trust me, I have a superpower. I won't die."

He still didn't agree, but I went ahead with the surgery behind his back.

Not only did I donate my heart, but also my liver and kidneys to a rich man's daughter. The wealthy man transferred five million dollars to Ryan's account.

Three days later, I woke up.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Ryan keeping vigil by my bedside. He hadn't slept for three whole days. Dark circles under his eyes, yet he stubbornly refused to leave.

"You're awake," his voice was hoarse as he carefully held my hand. "Does it hurt?"

It was the first time I had seen him so gentle.

Leo recovered quickly, and Ryan started visiting me in the hospital frequently.

He would peel apples for me, help me drink water, his gaze so focused it made my heart tremble.

Sometimes when I was asleep, I would feel someone gently kissing my forehead.

He began to tell me his stories, about the fun times training with Leo when they were young, about the rigorous tests in the special forces, and about how much he feared losing important people.

When he said these things, his eyes were gentle, but there was also something in them that I couldn't quite understand.

Later, he proposed to me.

I nodded, tears streaming down my face. He kissed away the tears on my face and held me tight.

After that, I applied to join the SAR team as a contract nurse, so I could be by his side.

It was at this time that Bella was transferred back to the main team.