Chapter 720

His voice grew softer, almost whispering to himself: "Attorney Han from Legal Affairs will handle everything..."

Evelyn abruptly cut him off. "Stop! I don't know any Attorney Han, nor your safe combination. The fire trucks are coming—you deal with it yourself..."

Her gaze drifted into the distance as her heart sank.

A blaze this intense should've alarmed the neighborhood by now. Yet Alexander's security team was nowhere to be seen—likely overpowered.

Though Lydia only brought a few bodyguards, each was elite. Picking them off one by one would've been effortless.

Alexander suddenly grasped her hand. "The fire's rising from below. We need the roof."

He looked up at the overhanging eaves.

Evelyn followed his gaze. The emergency exit remained frustratingly distant.

"I'll boost you up first." Alexander crouched, offering his shoulders as a stepping stool.

She knew this wasn't the time for hesitation. Once atop the ledge, she immediately reached down. "Hurry! Grab my hand!"

Alexander didn't move.

"Evelyn." He spoke her full name softly, voice ragged. "Keep climbing. Higher means safer."

Her outstretched hand froze midair.

The realization struck—he never intended to follow.

"I can reach you!" Her voice trembled. "Try again—"

He shook his head, arms limp at his sides. Only when her tears fell did he murmur, "My hands are injured. The flames...if we don't separate, we both die."

Even now, he prioritized her survival.

"You promised never to leave me!" Evelyn glared, voice raw. "If you die here, I'll never forgive you! Not in this lifetime!"

Fire licked at the exterior walls.

Wooden stairs groaned under the assault. Yet Alexander remained eerily calm, as if resigned to fate.

"My will divides assets between you and Mother. If possible...please look after her."

"Evelyn, I'm sorry..."

She strained to grasp him, but her vision blurred. Inhaled smoke took its toll.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

......

Evelyn's eyes flew open.

The acrid sting of disinfectant. Harsh white lights made her squint.

"Where's Alexander?" Her voice scraped like sandpaper.

Grace and Margaret snapped to attention beside the hospital bed. Grace wept with relief. "Sweetheart!"

Margaret's lips parted, but tears spoke first.

Evelyn's heart plummeted.

"Is he...?" The words lodged in her throat.

That dream felt too real. Like a final goodbye.

She yanked out her IV, staggering upright. Both mothers rushed to restrain her, their tearful eyes confirming the worst.

"I need to see him." Her voice shook.

Deeper than the despair she'd felt waiting by the pond for divers—this time, he'd sacrificed himself for her...

Margaret forced steadiness. "Search and rescue is ongoing...they brought you here first after you lost consciousness."

Evelyn's grip turned the sheets bone-white.

That dream—was it a hallucination...or had he truly come to say farewell?