Chapter 23 Drowning in Obsession
She didn't know how he had gotten into the fire. His hair was disheveled, his expensive suit jacket gone. His white shirt was streaked with ash and scorched.
A gash across his cheek was bleeding.
He held her tight. When he had tackled her and rolled them both across the floor, he had used his own back to shield her from the worst of the flames.
But there was no relief in his eyes. No concern. Only rage.
"What the hell are you doing in here?!" Alexander roared, hauling Caroline up off the floor.
"Are you trying to die?! Why didn't you get out when you had the chance?!"
Caroline's ears rang from his shouting. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. She couldn't speak. She pointed stubbornly toward the drawer.
Alexander followed her gaze. He saw the inferno, the outline of the cabinet being consumed by flames. And he understood immediately.
His expression changed. Something unreadable flickered across his face. Caroline couldn't make sense of it. She didn't have the strength to try.
Her eyes stayed locked on the cabinet. Tears streaked her face, vanishing in the heat.
"You ran into a burning building… for that?!" Alexander whipped around, his voice a snarl.
"For Edith's junk?! You were willing to die for it?!"
Caroline trembled under the weight of his fury.
She wanted to nod. She wanted to shake her head. Tears mixed with the ash on her face, leaving grimy trails behind.
She wanted to tell him that those things were all that was left of Edith. That they mattered more than her life.
But she couldn't make a sound.
"Useless!" Alexander grabbed her and dragged her away from another collapsing section of burning debris, stumbling toward the emergency exit built into the room.
"All you do is cause problems! All you do is get yourself killed! And if Edith's things burn, that's on you! Because you're worthless!"
His words hit her like a blow.
The moment fresh air filled her lungs, Caroline's vision went black. She collapsed.
The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Alexander's cold, cutting stare.
"You couldn't even protect Edith's things… You really are good for nothing."
Darkness swallowed the world.
The searing heat faded. All that remained was a bone-deep cold.
It felt like being dragged underwater. The pressure crushed her lungs, bringing sharp pain and a nauseating sense of suffocation.
The suffocating sensation finally pulled Caroline back to consciousness.
The first thing she felt was something cool dripping into her veins.
Caroline forced her heavy eyelids open. The smell of disinfectant filled her nose.
She turned her stiff neck and realized she was lying in a hospital bed. An IV was in her hand, clear fluid flowing slowly into her bloodstream.
The burns on her left arm and leg still throbbed. Even the slightest movement sent dull waves of pain through her body.
Her face, neck, and hands—every exposed patch of skin—were covered in thick layers of ointment.
Her throat felt like it had been scraped raw. Even breathing hurt.
Memories came back in fragments.
The smoke. The fire. The searing heat. The collapsing beam. Alexander's furious face and his icy words. And…
The metal box being swallowed by flames.
Caroline's body went rigid. Despair spread through her chest.
Edith's last belongings had burned right in front of her.
Tears welled up without warning, blurring her vision.
Caroline started coughing uncontrollably. The coughing turned into dry heaves, but nothing came up. Only grief, spreading endlessly.
"You're awake?" A familiar voice spoke from beside the bed.
Caroline gasped for breath and turned her head with difficulty.
Celeste was sitting in a chair beside the bed, peeling an apple. She was immaculate as always, wearing a soft blush pink cashmere dress. She didn't look like someone visiting a hospital patient. She looked ready for a high-society gala.
"The doctor said you inhaled a lot of smoke. Mild poisoning. Lung infection. Burns and scrapes all over, but nothing serious. You just need to rest and recover."
Celeste finished peeling the apple and cut it into small pieces. She arranged them neatly on a delicate porcelain dish and pushed it toward Caroline.
"Caroline, you really scared us. How did the fire even start? Thank God Alex reacted so fast. He didn't hesitate—he ran straight into the flames to save you. If he hadn't…"
She paused, picking up a toothpick and spearing a slice of apple. She held it out to Caroline's lips.
"But Caroline, you really should have been more careful. The guards said you opened the door and ran into the fire yourself? Just to… look for Edith's things?"
Caroline turned away from the apple. She closed her eyes.
She didn't want to look at Celeste. She didn't want to answer.
Celeste didn't seem to mind. She set the apple back on the dish and wiped her hands with a tissue. Her voice stayed soft, but every word was a needle.
"Caroline, I know you feel guilty. I know you miss Edith. But no matter how much you miss her, you can't risk your life like that. Those things… if they burned, they burned. They're just objects. If Edith were still alive, she wouldn't want you to hurt yourself over them. If something had happened to you, Mom and Dad would have been devastated. And Alex… how angry do you think he would have been?"
Caroline kept her eyes closed. But her lashes trembled violently.
Alexander's furious words echoed in her mind, from the moment before she lost consciousness.
She was right. Caroline hadn't just failed to save Edith's things. She had nearly gotten herself killed. She had made him worry—or worse, made him angrier.
"And you know…" Celeste's voice dropped lower.
"I heard from some of the older relatives that when someone becomes too obsessed with a dead person's belongings—when they're willing to risk their life for them—sometimes it brings bad things. Maybe this fire was a warning. Caroline, you really need to try to let go. Edith is gone. The living have to keep moving forward, don't they?"
Caroline's eyes snapped open. She turned to look at Celeste.
A warning?
Her lips curled into a strange, unsettling smile.
If there really was some force that could let her see Edith again, she would accept it without hesitation—even if the price was leaving this world with her.
Even if it meant suffering in some unknown place. Even if it meant Edith herself would be the one to make her suffer. It would be better than this. Better than being trapped in endless nightmares, searching for her and never finding her.
Celeste flinched at the smile. She stood up quickly, panic flashing across her face. "Caroline, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick? I was just talking—don't be upset!"
The door opened.