Chapter 477

The fire had erupted in the dead of night, consuming the entire apartment building in flames. Most residents had been asleep when disaster struck, leaving countless injured in its wake. Mercy General Hospital was overwhelmed, its halls echoing with the cries of the wounded as doctors and nurses worked tirelessly through the chaos.

Evelyn moved through the crowded lobby with Alexander Kensington at her side, while Harrison cleared a path ahead. It didn’t take long for them to find Sophia Grant.

Compared to the other victims, Sophia’s injuries were minor—a few burns on her arm and cheek, scrapes on her knees and ankles from her desperate escape. But her mother… her mother hadn’t been so lucky.

Sophia stood outside the operating room, tears streaming down her face as she waited for news.

"Bella!" Evelyn called out, hurrying toward her.

Sophia turned, her eyes lighting up with desperate hope. "Evelyn! Evelyn, please—my mom, she’s—"

"It’s going to be okay," Evelyn reassured her, though the uncertainty of the situation weighed heavily on her heart. She examined Sophia quickly, relieved to see her mostly unharmed. "Thank goodness you’re safe. Your mother will pull through."

Sophia shook her head, her voice breaking. "She—she woke me up. The fire was everywhere. A beam fell, and she—she pushed me out of the way. It’s my fault. If I had woken up faster—"

Evelyn and Alexander exchanged a glance. Sophia was in shock, her words fragmented, her body trembling.

The operation dragged on, and though Alexander could have insisted Evelyn go home to rest, he didn’t. Instead, he sent Harrison for food and drinks, though none of them had the stomach for it. The hospital was a nightmare—people screaming, others silently mourning, some already lost.

Evelyn’s chest ached at the suffering around her.

Then, the operating room doors swung open.

A doctor stepped out, removing his mask. Sophia lunged forward before he could speak. "Doctor! My mom—she’s okay, right? The surgery was successful?"

The doctor hesitated, then sighed. "I’m sorry. We did everything we could, but—"

"No!" Sophia staggered back, shaking her head violently. "No, that’s not possible! She has to be okay!"

"Her injuries were too severe. She lost too much blood."

A nurse wheeled out the hospital bed, a white sheet draped over the still figure beneath. Sophia stood frozen, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Evelyn felt the blood drain from her face. Her hands trembled.

Sophia took a step forward, then another, her fingers twitching toward the sheet. But she couldn’t bring herself to lift it. Harrison moved silently beside her and pulled it back.

The sight of her mother’s pale, lifeless face shattered Sophia completely.

"Mom? MOM!" Her scream tore through the hallway, raw and broken.

Evelyn’s head throbbed violently. Something about Sophia’s anguish triggered a flood of fragmented memories—images, voices, pain. Her vision blurred, her knees nearly buckling under the weight of it.

Her skull felt like it was splitting open.

And then—darkness.