Page 27

I wasn't sure that going to her location was a good idea. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing the right thing. For some reason, I felt uneasy about the whole situation. It didn't make much sense to me, considering that she just might be out with a friend or something.

This unease was not a hint of my jealousy or possessiveness. No. This was something else. I couldn't explain the feeling, but it just didn't feel right.

Something was off. But what was it? Why was I so worried and concerned about her safety when I'd come to the realization that she had my full trust?

She'd proven time and time again that she was a faithful wife, a loyal one, regardless of the situation surrounding our marriage. And in all honesty, I trusted her more than she knew. But there was just something different about the situation today that I couldn't wrap my head around.

More than a few times while driving to her location, I'd almost turned back and returned home. This was because a part of me thought that I'd appear too clingy and possessive even though we'd agreed that I'd let her make her own decisions.

She was mine, and I could control her as I deemed fit. But because I could didn't mean that I should. She was a rational human being like me, and although I was the head of the family, she was the neck and should be treated with respect and love.

I'd only recently learned this and would need a little more time to get used to it. However, right now, this wasn't me evaluating whether or not her decision was in line with my principles; this was me being worried, a feeling I was unfamiliar with.

Despite every reason I had to return home and patiently wait for her, I just couldn't bring myself to turn the car around. A greater part of me wanted to make sure she was fine at least.

But the question remained: Why was I so worried? Why couldn't I shake the feeling that something was off?

I wiped a palm across my face, eyes darting to the car's navigation system. The GPS indicated that I was just a block away, and my heart raced faster the closer I got to her location.

I'd never been so worried in my whole life, and that was the only reason I didn't turn the car around.

The moment I rounded a corner into a street as directed by the GPS, my eyes settled on a house on fire. I glanced at the navigation display only to realize that the burning building was her location.

My heart sank into my chest as I accelerated onward, fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.

Fear gripped me in a way it never had before as I sped up toward the fire-ravaged building, with only one thought—my wife's safety. The streets seemed deserted, but I didn't have the luxury of time to wonder if there were neighbors living around. Did no one think it was necessary to call the fire department?

My car's tires screeched to a halt outside the blazing structure—now just a mass of flames, with walls crumbling beneath the intense heat. A fiery behemoth devoured the house, spewing smoke and embers into the air as orange flames danced across the roof.

I bolted out of the car, sprinting toward the entrance. With a powerful kick, I struck the door, but it wouldn't open. The damned thing was jammed from the inside.

“Fuck!” I cursed, fingers ruffling my hair as I rushed a few paces back. My chest heaved and my jaw clenched as I balled my fists while gathering momentum.

With a surge of adrenaline, I launched myself at the front door, using all of the strength that I could muster. My powerful arm led the charge as I struck the door with my shoulder, splintering the wood and shattering the barrier.

The damn door burst open, yielding to my forceful entry as a wave of scorching heat enveloped me. It was like hell in here! Flames engulfed the room, casting flickering shadows that forced me to shield my face.

A maelstrom of fire licked the ceiling as blistering heat radiated off the burning walls, searing my skin. I charged forward, my gaze sweeping across the smoke-filled room. “Lorena!” I bellowed, squinting through the haze, my voice strained.

The fire's deafening roar went on, drowning my shouts. Waves of scorching air slammed against me as I dared to run through the flames, eyes scanning the room. “Lorena!” I shouted, desperation overriding pain.

My coat caught on fire, and I immediately shed it off, standing vigilant and confused amidst the raging flames. A gentle and almost indistinct couch caught my attention, and like the Terminator, my head turned to the direction of the sound.

“Lorena!”

I spotted her by a window, lying on the floor as she coughed faintly.

With lightning speed, I dashed over to her and dropped to my knees by her side, my hands lifting her head in my arms. “Lorena!” I rapidly tapped her face, my heart pounding in my chest as I hoped the smoke hadn't done much damage. “Lorena!”

Her eyelids fluttered open, her finger pointing behind me. I shot a quick look back to where a young man lay on the floor, struggling beneath a pile of fallen wood.

“Help him,” she muttered, her voice faint and strained.

Hell no!

There was not enough time to save them both. I had no idea who the man was, and I wasn't going to risk the lives of my wife and our unborn child in an attempt to play hero.

The flames were catching up fast, and the air was growing thicker with more smoke, making it almost impossible to breathe. She shouldn't be here a minute longer. I had no idea how much smoke was already in her lungs.

My heart stopped for a moment as my eyes darted to the kitchen, where flames danced toward a gas cylinder. “Shit,” I muttered, my voice laced with urgency as I lifted my wife into my strong arms.

That cylinder was highly flammable, meaning an explosion was inevitable.

“Sorry, but I can't save your friend,” I whispered to her, panic fueling my sprint toward the door.

With Lorena cradled in my arms, I ran through the blazing fire, the intense heat searing my skin. With the surge of adrenaline rushing through my blood, I jumped over burning obstacles, weaving through falling bricks and splintering wood.

The exit was engulfed in flames, but it was our only way out, and I wasn't slowing down. Lorena wrapped her arms around my neck and shut her eyes as we approached the door on fire.

With a swift move, we burst through the flaming doorway mere seconds before a deafening explosion shook the ground. The shock wave from the blast knocked us off balance, catapulting us through the air.

It was as though time slowed down as we soared. A split second later, we crashed onto the pavement. I landed on my back with my wife on top of me. The wicked impact nearly crushed my spine, but none of that mattered, considering my wife was safe from the crash.

She raised her head, her wavy brown hair cascading down her face as she stared at me, her wide eyes tracing my entire body. “Are you okay?” she muttered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I threw my hand into her hair, pushing a handful to the back of her ear to reveal her face—stained with smoke, glistening with sweat. My lips curled into a smile, and my thumb wiped her tears. “I'll live,” I whispered, groaning at my aching back.

“Thank you,” she whimpered, her tone dripping with sincerity.

I slipped my hand to the back of her neck and pulled her head down, resting it on my chest.

The fire raged on a few paces away, eventually pulling the building to the ground.