Twice Betrayed- Reborn in Flames - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

In my past life, Alma and I had perished in flames because Gerald hesitated to save us. That guilt had haunted me ever since.
I kept tending to Alma's wounds while deliberately revealing her identity to the paramedics, hoping the Barren family name would get her priority treatment.
Instead, they laughed mockingly. "Eleanor, you've really outdone yourself this time! Hiring all these actors—even roping in the Barren heiress? Must've cost you a fortune!"
Gerald sneered in disbelief. "First, you begged me to attend the Barrens' New Year's gala. Now you expect me to believe you were in a car with their heiress?" He scoffed. "Do you ever tell the truth? And we agreed—no kids after marriage. How the hell are you pregnant?" Without another word, he ordered the medics to tend to Joanne, who barely had a scratch.
Then it hit me—why Gerald had been so adamant about staying childless. As if sensing my realization, my stomach clenched, and I felt a faint flutter inside.
Blood gushed between my legs, pooling beneath me in a crimson puddle.
Alma screamed for help, but I stopped her. Begging Gerald was pointless.
The Barrens' wealth in Jade Harbour was beyond anything I could fathom. But three years ago, my dying brother had given his kidney to Alma's father. Since then, the Barrens invited me to their New Year's celebrations every winter. If Gerald had ever bothered to come just once, he'd have known I wasn't lying.
But he never did. After my brother's death, he took Joanne to the Riverton family reunions every year while I—his actual wife—watched their happy gatherings through Joanne's smug social media posts.
Gerald glared at us, his voice icy. "I told you I was taking Joanne home for New Year's. Was that reason enough to ram your car into hers?" He leaned in, his threat sharp as a blade. "If anything happens to Joanne, neither of you will walk away from this." Then he scooped Joanne into his arms, barking at the ambulance driver to speed to the hospital.
Just like before, he left without a single glance back.
Snowflakes landed on my skin, their cold bite seeping deep, numbing my body and heart.
No matter what, Gerald would always choose Joanne first.
"Oh God, her water broke! She's in labor!" someone shrieked. Only then did I notice Alma's soaked dress.
Swallowing my grief, I knelt beside her, cradling her neck. "Miss Barren, I trained in midwifery during my hospital internship. If you trust me—"
Alma turned her ashen face to me, gasping, "Save... my baby..."
A deafening crack cut through the air—fuel leaked from the wreck, and flames erupted from the backseat, casting an eerie orange glow over the panicked crowd.
"Get out of here! The car's gonna blow!" People scattered like leaves in a storm.
Trembling, Alma shoved me away. "Leave me, Eleanor! Just—go!"
Dizzy from blood loss, my limbs felt like lead. I dug my nails into my thigh, forcing myself alert, then hauled Alma up. We staggered toward the nearby woods, barely making it ten steps before—
BOOM!
The explosion hurled us through the air like ragdolls, slamming us onto the frozen earth.