Chapter 11

Agustin's breath was ragged as he pushed through the thick curtain of smoke, coughing against the sting in his lungs. He couldn't see, even breath but the weight of guilt and saving two lives gnawing at him. Every step up the final staircase felt like dragging himself through hell, but his mind was razor-focused — cutting through panic, flame, and pain with only one thought:

Top floor. Last door. End of the hall.

Pregnant girl.

The ornate carpets were ablaze, fire licking at the walls like it remembered every sin whispered through them. The ceiling cracked above him. But at the end of the corridor, half-hidden behind a collapsed beam, he saw it — the door. The one she’d been locked behind. His pace fastened and now all he could see was that door like a ray of hope in the darkness.

It was still intact… barely. The wood glowed, scorched black, the heat warping its frame. A metal latch held it shut from the outside. Whoever had locked her in never intended for her to come out. He clenched his jaw at the thought of something locking a pregnant woman in and in the first place what a pregnant woman is doing in a brothel but that time wasn't right to think about all that.

Agustin surged forward.

His gloved hand yanked at the latch — scalding, stubborn — but the metal latch was so hot that it burned his skin under it with so much heat. He retracted his hand back with a hiss but he decided not to give up and again yanked at the latch until it finally snapped open. The door groaned as he kicked it in and so much smoke came out of the room blinding his vision for a while. But when the smoke cleared a little he raised his gaze.

And then—

He saw her.

Curled against the far wall, barely conscious, her knees tucked to her chest around a swollen belly. Her face was streaked with soot and sweat, hair clinging to her cheeks. Her arms were wrapped instinctively around herself, shielding her baby even in unconsciousness. She looked so helpless so vulnerable but didn't lose the hope of getting out of there.

Her eyes were half-open, unfocused.

But the moment the door burst open, they flickered to life. She saw him — not clearly, but enough to gasp hoarsely and flinch. Like a wounded animal expecting another blow. Agustin stood frozen for half a second. Not because of the fire. Not because of fear. But because nothing could have prepared him for the sight of her.

That fragile strength. That hollowed beauty. The way she held onto life, even when the world had tried to burn her. She looked really broken, beyond repair but he felt something so positive coming from her. He could feel her beauty even in so much darkness and smoke, even if his eyes were tearing up, he could feel beauty in every action of hers.

And somehow… in that instant… he knew:

This was not just another girl.

This was the reason he’d come.

"Don’t move." he said quickly coming back to his senses when he saw Innara trying to stride towards him in panic.

"I’m getting you out of here." He said assuring her in his smooth calming voice and stepping in pulled off his coat.

But she was too weak to answer. Her head tilted. Her eyes fluttered and then closed losing her balance completely maybe due to exhaustion and suffocation. Agustin immediately launched towards her and caught her immediately in his arms securing her from falling down and gently letting her lay on the floor.

"No, no, stay with me—" before he could complete her sentence she completely lost her consciousness as if she believed he would save her.

He knelt beside her, wrapped her in his coat, one arm beneath her knees, the other around her back. He lifted her up into his arms and craddled her light figure against his chest with a promise to himself of saving her from this life taking fire anyhow.

As the ceiling cracked again above them, he decided to walk out of there before it could completely collapse on them. She was burning hot. Fragile. But still breathing. He understood that even if he had been a few seconds late then she would have lost her life to the fire he ignited to bring the building down but little did he know that today he pushed two innocent lives in risk.

And Agustin turned, carrying her through the fire, his jaw set, his heart pounding not with fear —

—but with rage at the world that had left her to die. And at him for not checking thoroughly and believing that the bastard owner of this brothel. He understood he must have some grudges against her and that's why he didn't let him know about her existence. She was hiding here for three months because she was carrying and must have danger from the owner. Now everything was clear in his mind.

The flames howled louder now, as if they knew someone had defied them.

Agustin tightened his hold around Innara— her head limp against his chest, one arm loosely curled over her rounded belly. She was light. Too light. Her body was trembling even in unconsciousness. Every instinct in him screamed to move faster. Even if she was unconscious the mother inside her wasn't ready to let any harm come to her baby.

He turned from the room just as a burning beam collapsed behind him, splintering the floor where she had laid only seconds ago.

No way back.

The corridor was already caving in — fire swallowing the walls, coughing black smoke like a dragon exhaling its last breath. Agustin lowered his head, shielding hers beneath his coat, and plunged into the inferno. His boots skidded over debris, the soles melting slightly with each step. Sparks kissed his skin, and somewhere behind him, the ceiling gave a deafening crack. But he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.

She was breathing. He could feel it — faint, shallow — against his chest.

And that was enough.

"Move!" one of his men shouted from the base of the stairs as they saw him emerge. Two of them surged forward, clearing rubble, throwing open a side exit through the kitchen where smoke was thinner.

The hallway behind him exploded in flame as he reached the last door.

Agustin didn’t look back.

He burst through the side entrance just as the roof caved in with a roaring thunder behind him. The night air hit him like ice, the contrast stinging his sweat-soaked skin.

His men rushed to surround him, shouting orders, guiding them toward a black SUV parked a few feet away. But Agustin didn’t hand her off. Not yet. He slid into the backseat, still holding her as if letting go might shatter her.

The door slammed shut. Tires spun against gravel. The fire raged behind them — swallowing the brothel, its sins, its secrets, its screams — until only smoke filled the night sky.

Agustin looked down at the girl in his arms.

Her lips were pale. Her lashes trembled faintly. But her hands… they were curled protectively over the curve of her belly.

Even in sleep, she guarded what was hers.

Even in hell, she had survived.

And now… she was in his world.

The SUV was moving towards it with its full speed while his heart was thudding against the ribcage continuously while his gaze was stuck at her swollen belly he didn't even want to imagine the consequences if he didn't reach there on time. Soon they reached the outskirts of New York where no one was around but a mansion could be seen from a little distance.

The mansion stood miles away from the chaos — hidden deep in the wooded outskirts of New York, where silence reigned and no one came uninvited. Inside, the atmosphere was nothing like the night before. The air was warm, calm, filled with soft murmurs of doctors moving room to room, tending to girls who had been ghosts only hours ago.

Every one of them was being treated — cleaned, clothed, given beds for the first time that weren’t stained with fear. They were getting treated with love, care and affection as if the doctors were their family members. Some of them got emotional too feeling loved after a long time, they mentally thanked Agustin for saving them from that hell hole they didn't even want their enemy to reach.

Agustin got down from the SUV and ran towards the mansion, entering inside he ran upstairs wasting no time and made her lay on the bed in one of the rooms. A team of doctors came and nodded at him assurance which comforted him a little as he trusted them. So, he came out of the room leaving her with the doctors.

He was pacing in the hallway back and forth impatiently and he will remain like that until she gains her consciousness. Soon he saw that girl, Emma running upstairs with worry etched upon her face. She saw him and then the room where he was pacing impatiently. She immediately peeked inside the room and in one of the quietest, sunlit rooms upstairs… she lay.

Wrapped in clean sheets, her wounds dressed, an IV dripping slowly at her side. Her face had been gently cleaned, but the dark circles under her eyes remained — silent reminders of the years she’d endured. Emma sobbed out feeling so overwhelmed after seeing Innara in such a good condition after a long time. Agustin noticed her and handed his handkerchief to her which she took and wiped her face.

"Thank you- Thank you so much for saving her from that hell hole." Emma said turning around and facing him while he just titled his head in acknowledgement.

"She was waiting for months to get saved from there, she wanted to save her baby from that bastard Patrick, he wouldn't let it live if get to know about the baby." Emma said gratefully not believing that finally Innara was saved.

"When I asked him about her he said she ran away three months ago." Agustin told Emma earning a nod from her because it was all still so confusing for him.

"That bastard! He didn't want her to leave that hell hole! He was the one who kept her with him when she was just a kid and ruined her whole life." Emma said with anger shimmering in her eyes for that owner, Patrick who had Innara with him since she was a kid.

"A kid? Where is her family? Why did he have her from such a young age?" Agustin asked furiously not believing she was living in that hell hole from such a tender age.

"I don't know, no one knows, not even her. Since her childhood he's been telling her that she doesn't have anyone except him. I joined a few years ago so I don't know either." Emma said clenching her jaw remembering how disgusting that man was.

"Hmm. So you weren't forced into prostitution? Why did you choose it willingly?" Agustin questioned her which made her eyes go blank.

"I have two siblings and our parents died at such a young age that I had no option other than earning for my siblings as I was the elder one and this work seemed the easiest and most high paying job." Emma explained with nervousness feeling scared of being judged but instead Agustin sighed.

"Don't worry now you all are under our protection. The girls who want to go back to their families will be sent back respectively and the ones who don't want to go can work for us to earn for themselves." Agustin explained Emma and a ray of hope shone in her eyes after hearing him.

"Yes, I would love to work." Emma said excitedly earning a nod from him.

"But Innara? She won't be able to work in this condition..." Emma said looking back in the room where Innara was laying unconscious.

"She doesn't have to work as she isn't in the condition to do so. I'll take her with me and keep her under my guidance until she delivers a healthy baby." Agustin said before he could register his own words.

He felt responsible for her because firstly she didn't have anyone as her family and couldn't even work to earn for herself. She was injured and weak too, to look after herself. Emma didn't question him too because she wasn't at the place to question but she was glad that now Innara will be taken good care of, that now she was in safe hands.

"I should leave for now." Emma informed earning a nod from him and then she went away from there.

Agustin entered inside her room after some time and stood near the foot of her bed, arms crossed, gaze locked on her face.

She hadn’t woken yet.

Not fully.

The doctor beside him spoke in a quiet, respectful voice. "She’s malnourished… exhausted, clearly dehydrated. But the baby’s heartbeat is strong. She fought hard. Whatever kept her going in that place…" He shook his head in disbelief.

"It’s rare." She completed but Agustin didn’t speak.

He was staring at her hands. They were curled tightly on the blanket — as if even unconscious, she feared something might try to take her child from her.

He exhaled slowly.

Then he finally asked the question that had haunted him since the fire.

"Why didn’t anyone know she was there?"

The doctor hesitated. "She was locked in, sir. Hidden. Whoever ran that place… they weren’t just selling them. They were burying them alive."

Agustin's jaw clenched.

His fists curled.

But then his eyes returned to her.

To the soft rise and fall of her chest. The way her lips parted slightly in restless sleep. The faint flicker of life struggled back into her. Agustin looked at her, something shifting behind his stern expression.

"She’s safe now," he said, voice low but certain. "No one’s going to touch her again."

Then he stepped forward, brushing a loose strand of hair from the girl’s cheek. Her skin was cool, but her pulse was steady.

"You’re not forgotten anymore," he murmured.

"Not in my world."