What Separates Me and You

Lewis shook off Nancy's hands and ventured further without looking back. Nancy thought of pursuing him but gave up when she saw the flames around her. Staring after Lewis' disappearing silhouette amidst the smoke, she gritted her teeth and ran out of the house.

Lewis searched every room because he couldn't find Josephine in their bedroom. Moreover, Josephine couldn't speak, so this was his only way of looking for her. "Josephine! Can you hear me, Josephine?" The smoke was too thick inside the house and had greatly reduced his ability to see. Lewis took in some smoke and started coughing.

He ran into the bathroom in one of the rooms, turned on the shower, and drenched himself with water. Covering his mouth and nose with his collar yet again, he proceeded to the next room. Meanwhile, Conrad and Seth had hurried over with more men. They were astounded to see the blazing flames outside the manor.

In a trance, someone staggered out from the fire and ran up to Conrad before falling to the ground. Conrad reached out to support her and saw it was Nancy. He asked in an urgent tone, "Mrs. Alvarez, where are Sir and Madam?"

Nancy's finger trembled as she pointed to the manor. She said with a raspy voice, "T-They are inside. Quick, save them! Hurry!"

Seth frowned and promptly dashed forward. He grabbed the watering can by the entrance, emptied its content over himself, and plunged into the fire after hurling the can away.

Conrad was astonished to see him so desperate. "Quickly, put out the fire!" he instructed the bodyguards behind him. He wasn't sure whether anyone had called the police, so he made the call nonetheless. The flames started to reach the inside of the manor. Everything inside was flammable, so the fire spread at an alarming speed. There were flames everywhere by the time Seth went in.

Josephine was now hiding in the bathroom. The electricity had gone off because of the fire, and she had to turn off the tap as the water from the tap was scorching.

Hugging the child, she watched the fire spread into the room, turning every inch of the room red.

She dared not crouch inside the bathroom any longer. Carrying Baron, she darted out of the bathroom and immediately saw the flames against the window. Mesmerized, her pupils contracted as she flopped to the floor.

The spreading flames were like a fiery snake, devouring every combustible in the room and heading straight for her. Oxygen was growing scarce. Flickering flames reflected off Josephine's eyes. She stared at the fire, allowing the smoke to engulf her as she sat on the floor like a lifeless doll.

In a trance, she saw silhouettes in the fire. They were in turmoil as they ran, screamed, and cried in desperation.

Their faces were blurry. So familiar yet strange. Out of nowhere, Josephine felt the urge to cry. The fire illuminated her teary eyes as her tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Josephine!" an urgent voice called from outside the door. Josephine's eyelashes fluttered. She blinked, and the silhouettes disappeared, leaving only the crackling fire. Smoke entered her airway, and she felt more and more suffocated.

There was a resounding crash at that moment, and the bedroom door burst open accordingly. Lewis darted in and instantly spotted Josephine.

"Josephine!" He ran to her and pulled her to her feet. As he panted, his voice trembled when he asked, "Are you alright?"

Josephine looked up and stared at him blankly. His hair was messy, ashes covered his face, and the flames left holes in his shirt.

A sudden dizzy spell caused Josephine to fall limply.

Lewis caught her. Carrying her bridal style, he strode out of the bedroom.

Josephine slowly opened her eyes and gazed at his features through the flickering flames that illuminated their surroundings. The fiery glow allowed her to see his face clearly.

In a daze, the scene from her dreams reappeared, and she saw the person's face this time.

It was him. It was him ...

Josephine sobbed as she kept her gaze on his face, her vision blurry from her tears.

Seth ran over and heaved a long sigh of relief when he saw them. However, before he could speak, Lewis handed Josephine to him. "Take her out."

Seth was stunned and couldn't help but steal a few glimpses at Lewis.

"Are you alright?" Seth asked doubtfully.

As soon as he said that, a loud crash came from behind. Something dropped.

Lewis shoved him. "Get out quickly!"

Seth gave him a long, meaningful stare before running decisively toward the entrance with Josephine in his arms.

Josephine struggled to look back at Lewis, whose figure grew ethereal amidst the smoke. The torrid heat distorted the space, and his silhouette slowly became indistinguishable.

Her eyes were misty as she wept. She opened her mouth and closed it weakly. Even her arms drooped limply by her sides.

Lewis watched Seth run further and heaved a sigh. His expression relaxed as he slowly stumbled toward the entrance. However, a thick billow of smoke blew in his face, and Lewis coughed violently. Supporting himself against the wall, he clutched his abdomen as his expression grew pained.

He forced himself to trudge on, his eyes fixed on the path before him. But the next moment, he swayed and crashed to the ground.

The fire trucks had arrived, and the firefighters were preparing their equipment to extinguish the fire.

A symphony of various sirens-the police, fire brigade, and ambulance-rang throughout the night.

All hell broke loose outside the manor.

Nancy briskly walked forward. Upon seeing only Seth and Josephine, she grabbed Seth and asked, "Where is Lewis?"

"Still inside." After he said this, Seth ran around Nancy and bolted for the ambulance.

Nancy's gaze fell on the manor, engulfed by flames, and bleakness overtook her as despair filled her eyes.

Could Lewis escape such a great fire?

Conrad wanted to head inside, but the firefighters stopped him.

The fire was too intense, and the risk of losing one's life inside was simply too high.

Sierra rushed over once she heard about the incident. She shuddered when she saw the fire. Without giving it a second thought, she dashed in when she heard Lewis was still inside, regardless of how the others warned her not to.

Her reaction took everyone by surprise. Not only was Nancy shocked, but Conrad also didn't foresee that she would enter the manor without the slightest hesitation.

Sierra was astonished by her own courage in the face of danger. She felt a tinge of regret as the flames licked her skin, but she gritted her teeth and pressed forward anyway.

The temperature inside had dwindled slightly because the firefighters outside were extinguishing the fire with a water jet. However, the smoke was thicker than before.

Everything in her line of sight was black, and one would faint from a mere breath of the smoke.

She covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve and navigated through the smoke. "Lewis! Lewis Alvarez! Where are you?"

She headed upstairs as she shouted.

Tears streamed down her face, uncertain whether the fright or the smoke caused them. Sobbing, she screamed Lewis' name, but she got no response.

She passed by several corpses and fell over them multiple times. The scorching heat of the floor seared her palms. Clenching her jaws, Sierra forced herself to continue, disregarding the pain on her body, as she checked the corpses.

Pieces of rubble fell from above her, and she let out a terrified scream. Nevertheless, she never gave up searching, crying while she did so.

Suddenly, she tripped over something, crashing to the ground with a piercing scream.