Chapter 2

"Milo calls who Dad?"

Lucy didn't answer.

She lay limp against my back, every breath sounding like tiny sawteeth scraping through her throat.

I forced myself to keep moving. This wasn't the time to question her.

The old fire access trail was only two blocks away. It normally took less than ten minutes to reach, but the smoke was so thick I could barely keep my eyes open.

The trees along the road had already caught fire. The wind swept embers over the rooftops, scattering them across my hair and coat.

I held Lucy up with one hand and pressed a wet scarf over her mouth and nose with the other.

She was getting heavier. Her arms no longer clung tightly around my neck.

"Sweetheart, talk to me."

"I'm tired."

"You can't fall asleep. Tell me what you drew at school yesterday."

She didn't respond.

Fear closed around my heart like an icy hand.

I had seen too many children suffocate from oxygen deprivation in the ER.

My legs buckled beneath me, my lungs burning as if packed with scorching sand.

But whenever I started to slow down, I saw Ethan shutting that truck door again.

You always do.

Those words had followed me for eight years.

When Lucy had a fever, I could take care of her.

When a pipe burst, I could call someone to fix it.

When Ethan's company ran into trouble, I could sort out the insurance paperwork for him.

Because I could always fix everything, he was free to help the people who supposedly needed him more.

But this time, the person he had abandoned was our daughter.

A fire engine's siren suddenly wailed somewhere ahead.

I tried to call for help, but when I opened my mouth, all that came out was a cough and a breath full of ash.

A flashlight beam cut through the smoke.

"Someone's over here!"

Two firefighters ran toward us.

The man in front pulled off his oxygen mask and placed it over Lucy's face.

"No." I tried to push it back toward him. "You need it."

"I have a spare tank."

His voice made me freeze for a moment.

I knew him. Daniel Ruiz, captain of the county fire and rescue team.

Over the years, he had brought countless patients into my ER.

His expression changed when he recognized me. "Nora?"

"She has asthma. She only had two puffs from her inhaler, and her breath sounds are very weak."

I fought to stay professional, but my voice still broke on the last word.

Daniel didn't waste time trying to comfort me.

He picked Lucy up while another firefighter supported me, and they led us toward the fire engine.

The moment the door closed, my strength finally gave out. I collapsed to my knees on the floor.

"My husband drove away." I clutched Daniel's protective jacket. "He said he'd come back."

Daniel fitted an oxygen mask over my face. His gaze moved past me to the road being swallowed by flames.

He didn't say a word.

But I knew Ethan wasn't coming back.

When the ambulance reached the hospital, Lucy was rushed straight into the resuscitation room.

I tried to follow her, but my legs suddenly gave out.

A nurse caught me as I continued staring through the glass in the door.

Just before I lost consciousness, I pushed my phone into her hand.

"If Ethan calls, tell him Lucy is here."

By the time I woke again, daylight had arrived.

An IV was inserted into the back of my hand, and my throat burned.

The chair beside my bed was empty. My phone sat silently on the table.

No missed calls.

No messages.

There was only a community news story posted in the early hours of the morning.

In the photo, Ethan stood inside the evacuation shelter with his coat draped over Celeste's shoulders.

He held Milo tightly in his arms.

The caption read:

"Local contractor rescues wife and son from wildfire. Family of three evacuates safely."