MARIA
I was dumbfounded the moment the noise erupted from the hallway.
"Fire! Fire!"
The shout rang through the corridor, loud and frantic, followed by the pounding of hurried footsteps. For a split second, my heart stopped. Fire? Here? The air didn't smell of smoke, but the panic in their voices was enough to make my chest tighten.
Instinct took over.
Noah.
Even if there truly was a fire outbreak, even if the entire building was about to go up in flames, I needed to get him out first. Without thinking, I pushed past Anabel and stepped fully into the room, my eyes immediately searching for him.
And then I saw him.
He was on the ground.
Unconscious.
My breath hitched.
For a moment, everything inside me went cold. Was it his voice I heard earlier? The weak whisper that called my name? Had he been trying to reach me?
