Stefan''s hands burned from the heat as he fought against the stubborn knots. The smoke was so thick now that every breath felt like swallowing fire.

    Ruby''s body was limp, her head hanging forward, her wrists red and raw from the ropes. The sight made his stomach twist painfully. He couldn''t think about what it meant — he just had to get her free. That was all he could think of.

    "Come on…e on…" he rasped, yanking hard until thest rope finally loosened. He wasted no time; he scooped her up into his arms, holding her close to his chest. Her head rested against his shoulder, her face frighteningly still.

    The heat from the mes seared his skin, and the roar of the fire was deafening, but he forced himself toward the door, coughing so hard his chest felt like it might split. The smoke wed at his eyes, blurring his vision, but the weight in his arms grounded him. Ruby. She was the only thing that mattered. He needed to get her out. He needed to rescue her.

    When he stumbled back into the hallway, the sudden rush of fresher air almost knocked him off his feet. Nurses and orderlies gasped at the sight of her, their eyes going wide.

    "She''s unconscious!" someone shouted. "Get her into a ward, now!"

    Two nurses rushed forward with a gurney, while the firemen continued to try to quench the fire.

    Stefanid her down gently, his hands shaking as though he''d been holding back an earthquake inside himself. His eyes never left her face — pale, lips tinged with blue.

    "Ruby… please," he whispered under his breath as the nurses wheeled her away.

    Rayna caught up, breathless and wide-eyed. Ethan and Officer Walter appeared secondster, the two of them soaked in sweat from the heat and sprinting. The sight of Ruby made Ethan''s face harden instantly.

    "Oh my God! I can''t believe Ivy can be this heartless as to burn her own sister alive," Ethan said, his whole body shaking in anger, grateful that they''d at at least caught her.

    "The sight of her tied up… inside that fire," Stefan said, his voice hoarse, almost unrecognizable. "If I''d been even a minuteter…" He didn''t finish. He couldn''t. His throat closed up, a lump forming there. He felt like crying but the tears wouldn''t even drop.

    The gurney disappeared into one of the wards, and a familiar figure hurried toward them — Doctor Noreen. Her brows were drawn tight, her voice brisk and urgent.

    "What happened to her? Don''t tell me she was in that fire," she asked when she saw how Stefan looked.

    "She was in the fire. Ivy wanted to kill her in the fire," Stefan said quickly. "I don''t know how long she was in there — but she wasn''t moving when I found her. Will she be alright? She has to be, please," Stefan pleaded.

    Doctor Noreen nodded sharply. "Get her hooked to oxygen immediately!" she called to her team as she swept past them into the ward.

    She could understand the pain Stefan must be feeling having the woman he loved battling for her life. Not to mention his mother that was still lying on the hospital bed.

    Stefan moved to follow, but one of the nurses blocked him. "Please, sir, you can''t be in here while we treat her."

    His jaw clenched. Every muscle in his body screamed to stay at Ruby''s side, but he forced himself to take a step back, his hands curling into fists.

    How couldn''t they let him in there? Did they understand the pain he was going through right now? Didn''t they know he needed to see Ruby and be sure she wasn''t going to leave him?

    Rayna reached for his arm. "She''s in good hands, Stefan."

    "She''s in God''s hands right now," Stefan murmured, almost to himself. His voice trembled.

    The ward doors closed, shutting them out. The hallway suddenly felt colder, emptier. Stefan leaned against the wall, staring at the floor, his mind reying the image of her pale face over and over. His stomach churned so hard it felt like he might be sick.

    Minutes crawled by like hours.

    Finally, Doctor Noreen stepped out. She had pulled her mask down, but the serious expression on her face made Stefan''s heart drop.

    "Tell me she''s going to be okay," he said immediately, stepping toward her. "Tell me you can save her."

    Noreen hesitated — and that hesitation nearly broke him. "She''s inhaled a dangerous amount of smoke," she said. "We''ve stabilized her for now, but there''s swelling in her airways. She''s fighting to breathe, Stefan… and with the pregnancy, her body''s already under strain."

    Stefan''s face tightened, his hands gripping his own arms to keep them from shaking. "So what does that mean?"

    "It means," Noreen said carefully, "we don''t know if she''ll make it through the next few hours. But I promise you — I''ll do everything in my power to make sure she does."

    The words hit him like a blow to the chest. For a second, he couldn''t breathe. The idea of losing her — losing them — was something he couldn''t wrap his mind around. It wasn''t supposed to happen. Not like this.

    Ethan stepped forward, his jaw set. "You''ll keep us updated?"

    "Every step of the way," Noreen assured him, before heading back inside.

    Silence hung between the four of them for a moment. Stefan stared at the closed ward doors as though he could will them open, will Ruby to walk out smiling like nothing happened. Like all this was just one bad nightmare.

    Rayna finally spoke, her voice low and heavy. "It pains me to know that the person who caused this whole mess is still out there. I should''ve run after Ivy when we saw her. As long as she is, this isn''t over. We need to find her, Stefan so that Ruby won''t have to live in fear again."

    Ethan''s eyes flickered, remembering that in the chaos of saving Ruby, he''d forgotten to give them the update. "She''s not out there."

    Rayna blinked. "What do you mean?"

    He nodded toward Walter. "We caught her. Me and Walter saw her sneaking around. Would''ve mistaken her for Ruby at first, but she was too… suspicious. She wasn''t looking for help — she was trying to get away so we had to caught her especially after seeing that she came into the hospital dressed as a nurse."

    Walter''s mouth twisted into something grim. "She said we''d be toote to save Ruby. That''s when we knew for sure that she was responsible."

    Rayna''s expression darkened. "Ivy…"

    Stefan finally tore his gaze from the ward door. "She''s in custody?"

    Walter nodded. "She''s being taken to the station as we speak."

    For the first time since the fire started, Stefan''s shoulders eased — just a fraction. "Good. Now all that''s left… is for Ruby to be safe."

    The moment the words left his mouth, a wave of exhaustion mmed into him. His vision swam, the corridor tilting slightly under his feet. He reached for the wall, but his hand slipped. Rayna''s voice called his name, but it sounded far away.

    Then his knees gave out and the floor rushed up to meet him. In a split second, he was on the ground.

    "Stefan!" Rayna dropped down beside him instantly. Ethan was there too, gripping his shoulder and trying to steady him.

    Walter''s voice was sharp. "Get a medic here now!"

    Stefan''s chest rose and fell quickly, his breathing shallow. His eyes fluttered open just long enough to whisper, "Don''t… let her… die...." before they closed again.

    Rayna''s throat tightened. She looked at Ethan, fear shining in her eyes. "He''s been running on adrenaline. He hasn''t stopped since Ruby went missing."

    Ethan nodded grimly. "And now… it''s catching up to him. I think he might have inhaled some smoke too."

    Two hospital staff came running with a stretcher. They lifted Stefan carefully, checking his pulse. "He''s just exhausted and dehydrated," one of them said, though their tone was cautious. "We''ll get him checked immediately."