Chapter 1

The night the dam broke, I was trapped on the rooftop with my one-month-old son in my arms. I pressed the radio to my lips and called out to my husband.

"Ethan, the water is rising. We're up here on the roof. Please come get us."

His voice came through the receiver, but he wasn't talking to me.

"Don't be scared, Mandy. I'm on my way."

The next second, the green light on our private channel went dark.

He had blocked me.

I tried to reconnect like a madwoman. Once. Then again.

The motor of a rescue boat roared in the distance, growing closer. A searchlight swept across my face, then slid away without mercy.

I pressed the radio to my lips, my voice raw and bleeding.

"Ethan. You don't have to save me. But please, take the baby. He's only a month old. He's never even seen your face."

The only answer was the fading growl of that engine.

I looked down at the child in my arms, his warmth slipping away. Then I looked at the GPS bracelet he had fastened on my wrist with his own hands.

So when everything fell apart, the one he chose to save was someone else.