Tristan was furious at Sienna's refusal to back down, especially the hint of mockery in her voice.
“Fine! Fine!”
His chest heaved with anger as he grabbed her wrist so tightly that she winced.
“I'm taking you to find the reporter who posted that video! Let's have her tell us to our faces whether that's you or not! I want to know what the hell you're trying to pull!”
He dragged her toward the door.
Sienna stumbled after him, her wrist throbbing with pain.
They were halfway there when Tristan's phone rang.
It was his assistant.
He answered impatiently.
“What is it?!”
Whatever his assistant said made his expression change drastically.
He slammed on the brakes.
“What did you say? What about Willa? Has she gotten out yet? I'm on my way!”
In an instant, he'd forgotten all about confronting the reporter.
He whipped the car around, floored the accelerator, and sped off in the opposite direction.
They eventually pulled up outside an upscale apartment complex.
Even from a distance, thick black smoke could be seen billowing from one of the buildings.
Fire truck sirens pierced the night, emergency lights flashed, and chaos had erupted everywhere.
Tristan threw open the car door before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop.
He charged toward the emergency cordon, only to be stopped by several firefighters.
“Sir! You can't go in! The fire's too intense! It's extremely dangerous!”
“Let me go! My friend's in there! She hasn't gotten out yet!”
Tristan's eyes were bloodshot as he roared at them, struggling so violently that several firefighters could barely restrain him.
“Sir, please calm down! Our crews are already inside searching for survivors! You'll get yourself killed if you go in!”
“If anything happens to her, what's the point of me being alive?”
Tristan practically screamed the words.
Then he tore himself free.
Before anyone could stop him, he rushed straight into the burning building, disappearing into a stairwell engulfed in flames and smoke.
Sienna remained in the car.
Through the window, she quietly watched his retreating figure vanish into the fire.
She had no idea how much time passed.
Then, amid a chorus of startled cries, an unsteady figure stumbled out of the burning building, carrying someone wrapped tightly in a wet blanket.
It was Tristan.
And the person in his arms was Willa.
Tristan was covered in injuries, but Willa appeared unharmed apart from being badly shaken.
After handing Willa over to the paramedics, Tristan finally collapsed from exhaustion.
The scene descended into chaos.
At the hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air.
When Tristan regained consciousness, pain radiated throughout his body.
A white ceiling greeted him.
The moment his memories returned, he tried to sit up.
“Willa!”
“She's fine.”
A calm female voice came from beside him.
Tristan turned and saw Sienna sitting quietly in a chair next to his hospital bed.
“She's in the room next door. She was frightened, but she's not seriously hurt. You're the one with multiple burns and a smoke inhalation injury. The doctors want to keep you here for observation.”
Tristan breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he looked at Sienna again, his cracked lips moving as he tried to explain.
“Sienna, I...”
“I know.”
Sienna held out a glass of water, dipped a cotton swab into it, and gently moistened his dry, cracked lips.
“The fire was bad, and there wasn't much time. You were worried about her, so you rushed inside to save her. I understand.”
There it was again.
I know.
I understand.
Tristan stared at her expressionless face, watching her care for him with the detached efficiency of someone simply going through the motions.
That familiar tightness returned to his chest.
This time, it felt even worse than the burns covering his body.
He was about to say something when Sienna's phone rang beside her.
She picked it up and glanced at the screen.
It was the visa application center.
“Yes, this is Sienna Sawyer. You need me to come in person to submit some additional documents? Okay, I understand. I'll come by as soon as I can.”
After hanging up, she walked back to the bed and picked up her bag.
“Where are you going?”
Tristan suddenly reached out and caught her wrist.
“I have something to take care of.”
“Right now?”
Sienna looked at the hand gripping her wrist, then at the surprise in his widened eyes.
She supposed she couldn't blame him for being shocked.
In the past, whenever he had so much as a headache or a fever, she'd taken time off work to stay by his side.
She'd watched over him constantly, terrified that he might feel even the slightest discomfort.
Now he was seriously injured, yet she was leaving to handle something else.
Was he disappointed?
Shocked?
Simply not used to it?
Sienna found the whole thing faintly ridiculous.
She gently pried his fingers from her wrist.
“When you were too busy to look after me, I hired a private caregiver. You've got assistants, bodyguards, and household staff. You don't even need to hire anyone. I'm sure there are plenty of people to take care of you.”
Her tone remained flat.
“There's no reason for me to stay.”
As she pulled away, Tristan felt a sudden emptiness in his chest.
He blurted out, “But you're my girlfriend! Shouldn't you be here with me at a time like this? Is whatever you need to do really more important than I am?”
Sienna fell silent for a few seconds.
Then she looked straight at him and answered, clearly and calmly.
“Yes. It's more important than you.”
Without another glance at his rapidly darkening expression, she turned and walked out of the hospital room.
She never looked back.
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