Chapter 4

Amidst the frantic wailing of the fire alarm, Scarlett clung to my dad, whimpering:

"Christian, I'm so scared. We just found each other again... I don't want to die..."

My dad was deeply moved. "Scarlett, I won't let anything happen to you."

He hoisted Scarlett onto his back and started rushing out, not forgetting to grab Violet and her toy poodle.

We lived on the tenth floor.

My mom was blind, and her foot was covered in agonizing blisters from the boiling soup.

There was no way I could get her down ten flights of stairs by myself.

"Dad!"

In that moment of sheer terror, a tiny sliver of hope still lingered in my heart.

Christian glanced back at me, his guilty eyes saying everything.

Desperate, I yelled again, "Dad! What about us?"

"Georgina, the fire is spreading fast. I have to get Scarlett and Violet down first!"

With that, he turned around and fled without looking back.

My mom stared blankly in the direction he had gone, her tears flowing endlessly.

I had no time to cry.

I grabbed Scout’s leash and put my mom's arm over my shoulder.

The stairwell was thick with choking smoke. People were pushing past us in a panic.

From the tenth floor down to the eighth, my mom tripped and fell three times.

By the fourth time she fell, I decided to carry her on my back.

She refused vehemently.

"Georgina, listen to me. You are young. You have so much ahead of you."

"You can't escape if you're carrying me. You surviving is my only wish..."

My voice was steel. "Mom, we leave together. If you won't go, Scout and I will die right here with you."

Scout seemed to understand. He let out two sharp, encouraging barks and nudged my mom with his snout.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally relented.

I hoisted her onto my back, realizing she was far lighter than I had ever imagined.

Thick smoke swirled around us. Everyone else had already sprinted past.

By the time we stumbled down to the second floor, our path was blocked.

The ceiling had collapsed, sealing the exit door with heavy debris.

I leaned out of a small hallway window and screamed, "Help! Somebody help us!"

Through the window, I could see Christian sitting safely on the lawn below, gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind Scarlett’s ear.

The temperature in the stairwell skyrocketed. The black smoke grew suffocating.

My mom coughed violently, and my eyes burned so badly I could barely keep them open.

She slipped off my back again.

Suddenly, Scout ripped his leash out of my hand. He threw his body repeatedly against the blocked exit door.

Once, twice, three times...

Just before my mom and I lost consciousness, the door gave way under Scout's relentless weight.

We stumbled out into the fresh, cool air.

On the grass, Christian was busy feeding Scarlett water while carefully applying ointment to a tiny blister on Violet's finger.

He was so absorbed in his touching reunion with his first love that he had completely forgotten his wife and daughter were trapped in a burning building.

I stared at the "happy little family." Then, I pulled out my phone and sent a text.

[Spread the word. Cancel all of Christian's business privileges and patents.]

In the midst of surviving the ordeal, my phone rang. It was the hospital.

"Is this Betty's family? A matching cornea donor has just passed away."

"Time is of the essence. Please bring Betty to the hospital immediately for surgery."