Chapter 9 - The Confession in the Fire
The heat was unbearable.Embers drifted through the air like glowing snow.
Dominic coughed violently.pressing a wet handkerchief over his mouth,using his own body to shield Hannah from the searing flames of the collapsed timber.
"Hannah,Get out through the window!Dominic ordered,his voice strained and hoars."The drop is too high for the kids,but you can make it to the balcony below!"
"I'm not leaving you here!"Hannah yelled back,grabbing a heavy fire extinguisher that had been left near the window sill.She pulled the pin and directed a thick blast of chemical foam straight at the base of the burning timber,carving out a narrow opening through the fire.
"Dominic,Grab the other side!Now!"
Working together with frantic,desperate income,they pushed and heaved against the heavy,charred beam until it shifts enough to clear the doorway.
Sirens wailed in the distance as local fire trucks finally breached the estate gates.
Stumbling out into the smoke-free safety of the western stairwell,Dominic collapsed against the stone wall,Hannah pulled into his arms to shield her from the lingering soot and heat.For a long time,breathless moment,Neither of them moved.They simply stood there in the semi-darkness,listening to each other's ragged breathing.
Dominic slowly pulled back,his dark eyes searching her face,illuminated by the distant flashing red lights of the fire trucks below.
"When I saw that timber fall,Dominic whispered,his voice trembling—a sound no enemy had ever heard from the mafia boss,"all I could think about was that I was going to lose you the same way I lost Elena.And I realized...I can't breathe without you in this house,Hannah."
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Hannah looked up at him,her hazel eyes shining with unshed tears,soot smudged across her cheek.
"You're not losing anyone,Dominic" she whispered back,resting her hand gently against his chest,right over his racing heart."We're just getting started.""
