Chapter 2The Scorch: He Gave His Ticket to a Student and Watched His World Burn

My head snapped up, my eyes wide with disbelief.

David took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea.

"The first wave transport requires proof of kinship," he explained calmly. "Chloe is only my student. That's not enough."

My hand trembled as I picked up the paper, my teeth clenched. "So?"

He adjusted his glasses, a flicker of guilt in his eyes, but his voice remained as clinical and detached as ever.

"So, I need you to sign this. To divorce me. You'll give her your status as Mrs. Blackwood, and then Chloe can board the Ark without any issues."

He finally looked at me, attempting a reassuring tone. "June, it's just a fake divorce. A temporary marriage for the paperwork. You know you're the only one for me. It's just a title, it means nothing."

I lowered my gaze, a hollow laugh catching in my throat.

I couldn't remember when our conversations had shifted from the thrilling frontiers of science to the mundane grind of groceries and bills. Maybe it was a few years into our marriage. Or maybe it was the day Chloe became his graduate student. I couldn't be sure.

This was the most he had said to me in one stretch in years.

And it was all to convince me to divorce him.

A bitter cocktail of emotions churned in my gut. I sniffled, took the pen, and signed my name without a moment's hesitation.

Seeing my decisiveness, David's brow furrowed, a hint of irritation in his voice. "June, once the Scorch passes, we'll remarry."

I turned my head away, waving a dismissive hand.

"You said it yourself, David. It's the end of the world. A piece of paper doesn't mean anything. Who knows if we'll even be alive next month?" I met his gaze, my own cold and hard. "Maybe you should focus on saving the continent, Dr. Blackwood."

His voice grew heavy. "That's not what I meant. Don't throw a fit over a young girl."

I ignored him, crawling into bed and pulling the covers over my head.

Thank God for the darkness. It hid the tears streaming down my face, the utter devastation that was breaking me apart.

Soon, David lay down beside me, his back to mine.

The familiar distance, the chilling indifference. We were inches apart, yet a universe of cold stretched between us.

I silently wiped my eyes.

In this heat, air conditioning units were failing everywhere, their circuits fried. No one could guarantee ours wouldn't be next. The thought of being slowly cooked alive kept me awake for hours.

Then, a sudden, jarring ringtone pierced the silence.

It was David's phone. The special tone he'd set just for Chloe.

I heard a frantic fumbling as he silenced it. He must have thought I was asleep, but I could feel his tense gaze on me, even through the blanket.

He tiptoed out of the room and into the living room, cracking the front door open.

His voice was a low whisper. "Chloe? What are you doing here so late?"

Chloe’s voice was thick with manufactured tears. "Dr. Blackwood, my AC broke… It's so hot, I can't stand it. I had nowhere else to go, I just… I…"

I could hear the wheels of her luggage. She sounded so pitiful, so helpless. "Could I… could I please stay here for a few days?"

My hand clenched the corner of the sheet.

We were both waiting for his answer. Chloe and I.

But just like with the Ark ticket, I already knew I would lose.

The door creaked open wider.

"Come in," David said. "But be quiet. June's a light sleeper."

Chloe's feigned sobs turned into a relieved giggle. "Oh, Dr. Blackwood, you're the best!"

She paused at the threshold, then seemed to reconsider. "But… if you let me stay, won't your wife mind?"

David was silent for a moment, as if contemplating the profound nobility of his actions. "Don't worry about her. You're my student. It's perfectly fine for you to stay for a few days."

Separated by a single door, my heart turned to ice.

After settling Chloe on the couch, David started back toward the bedroom.

But Chloe stopped him, her voice a soft, careful murmur. "Dr. Blackwood… you gave me the family ticket. Is… is your wife okay with that?"

David's reply was laced with a gentleness I hadn't heard in years.

"Chloe, you're my most brilliant protégé. I need you for my research. June understands. Everything we do is for the greater good of humanity."

A cold, mirthless laugh escaped me in the dark.

Once again, he had elevated his selfish desires to a noble cause I couldn't argue against. Always so rational, so objective. It was the same way he'd always met my anger and accusations—with a calm silence that made my hysteria feel like a childish tantrum.

My pillow was soaked through with tears.

Just then, my phone screen lit up.

It was a text message, sent silently so as not to disturb me.

June, tickets secured. A private transport will pick you and your mother up in three days.