What Separates Me and You

This time, Sierra fell on someone's body. Trying to rise to her feet, she looked up to see a familiar face. "Lewis ..." Sierra was pleasantly surprised. She inspected Lewis' face repeatedly. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, obviously unconscious.

Holding his face, Sierra shouted his name several times, but Lewis didn't stir. She stood and tugged his arm, attempting to pull him up. However, her strength was insufficient for the feat. Lewis didn't budge an inch. Desperation drove her to cry helplessly.

She knelt in despair, shouting toward the first floor at the top of her lungs, "Help! Anyone, help! Wake up, Lewis. I beg you... Please, wake up. Lewis..." Sierra hugged Lewis, crying hysterically and refusing to leave. "Don't die. What will I do if you're dead?"

She didn't find death terrifying-probably because of her near-death experience before this. She even thought she wouldn't mind dying if she could be with Lewis.

So what if he and Josephine were married? She would still be the one by his side during their final moments, wouldn't it?

Sierra's irrational thoughts spiraled out of control and lingered in her mind like parasites, implanting themselves in her. "Why are you here?"

Sierra's sobs halted. She looked up stiffly, and glee flashed across her eyes.

Lewis had unknowingly awakened, likely due to her booming cries, and was looking at her with his eyes half-closed.

"Lewis! You're awake."

Lewis shut his eyes and rested for a second before opening them again, saying, "You should go. Let me be." His voice was feeble and barely audible when he spoke.

Sierra shook her head vigorously, clamoring to her feet as she continued to tug at his arm. "Get up, hurry! Let's leave this place together. Come on!" In a panic, Sierra started crying. "I'll get you out of here, I promise!"

Lewis was silent for a moment. Then, supporting himself against the floor, he staggered as he stood.

Sierra's face lit up instantly. She draped his arm around her shoulders and headed downstairs, partially supporting his weight.

The fire was dying, but the house was collapsing rapidly. Debris and rocks fell from overhead, and some crashed into them. They struggled with every step. However, they couldn't feel any pain at this point. Sierra brought Lewis to the lower floor. Indistinctly, she saw the firefighters rescuing survivors. Delighted, she turned and said to Lewis, "Lewis, we're saved! We-Argh!" She had barely finished speaking when she missed a step, and her right leg slipped right through the gap between the steps.

Sierra exclaimed in shock as she fell, her leg trapped between the steps.

Meanwhile, Lewis tumbled down the stairs heavily. Nevertheless, he was quick enough to grab the scorching railing after several rolls. Almost immediately, he detected a burning smell coming from his palm. He looked up just in time to see a massive piece of the ceiling fall and landed precisely on Sierra's trapped leg. Sierra's shriek pierced through the air as the fallen rubble smashed through the stairs and took Sierra down with it.

Lewis' pupils contracted.

Following a loud thud, the entire staircase unexpectedly crumbled atop Sierra, burying her completely.

Lewis was standing on a lower step. Although he fell, too, he didn't receive much impact and merely fell on the rubble, suffering a few cuts.

The firefighters hurried to his rescue and retreated with him, who stood frozen.

Lewis' gaze fixated on the heap of rubble as smoke and flames slowly obscured his sight. He only came to his senses when they reached the space outside the house.

"Lewis!"

"Sir!" Conrad ran toward him in relief and handed him a bottle of water.

Lewis waved the bottle off and shut his eyes in silence. Moments later, he opened his eyes and looked toward the ruin where the mansion once stood. "He asked, "Who called Sierra here?" Conrad was stunned. He and Nancy exchanged a glance.

They suddenly realized Sierra wasn't there.

It couldn't be...

Several doctors approached them and attempted to take Lewis up the ambulance, but Lewis waved them off. Leaning against the vehicle, he slid to the ground limply. Staring at the fuming mansion, he wore an indescribable expression.

"Sir, let's go to the hospital. Ms. Woods will be fine," advised Conrad.

"Where's Josephine?"

"Oh, they've already sent her to the hospital. She should be alright."

Lewis nodded without uttering a word.

Soon, someone brought Sierra out on a stretcher. When they passed by, Conrad saw the gruesomely disfigured woman lying on the stretcher and was mortified.

Sierra's wounds were too severe, and they dared not waste even a second. The ambulance left for the hospital once she was in it.

In the hospital, Nancy underwent examinations and came out fine. However, she suffered mild carbon monoxide poisoning due to her age.

Josephine, whose health was already compromised, had also succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning and lost consciousness. The doctors were diligently working to rescue her from the dire situation. Sierra's condition was the worst. Besides carbon monoxide poisoning, she suffered extensive burns and fractures, especially on her leg-it had a comminuted fracture.

Lewis suffered from the same poisoning as the rest. Furthermore, it was less than a month after his surgery, and it didn't look too good for him. However, his body was strong enough, and the symptoms he showed weren't as severe.

The doctor bandaged the burns on his body and advised him to have a body check-up.

"There's no need." Lewis refused.

The doctor said, "You haven't fully recovered from your surgery, and both wounds are close to your lungs. It's better to have it checked."

He ignored the doctor and proceeded to put on his clothes before leaving.

Staring after his silhouette, Conrad and the doctor sat in awkward silence.

"Your employer is really headstrong."

Conrad sighed. "There's no helping it."

Lewis left the hospital and went to the police department. The police had arrested Layla. She was enjoying the scene before her when the mansion erupted into flames, having no intentions of fleeing. She even laughed when the police approached her laughing and crying at the same time, even. Her laughter was blood-curdling, and she sounded like a lunatic. She was flattering herself over her plans as they took her to the police department, bragging about her masterpiece. But her smile withered the moment she saw Lewis.

"You..." In cuffs, Layla stared at him in shock. "You aren't dead?"

Lewis sat before her and looked at her calmly. "Sorry to disappoint you. Not only am I still alive, but so are those whom you wished death upon." "Impossible! I've locked the doors!" Layla was visibly agitated. She sprung from her seat, but the policeman quickly held her down.

Layla had already confessed to everything. She exhausted her savings and bribed a maid in the Alvarez Manor to spike the food for the staff and bodyguards, ensuring no one could rescue anyone when the fire started.

After the entire housekeeping staff fell unconscious, she locked the doors to Josephine and Nancy's rooms. She wanted them to feel the pain of being burned to death. She also wanted Lewis to feel the despair of losing someone he held dear.

However, it was beyond her expectations that he would return so soon and barge into the mansion. Layla even took a moment to regret that Lewis wouldn't be able to feel the same suffering she endured if he died.

But then, who was this sitting before her, alive and kicking?