From the Fire, He Rose a Millionaire

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

For five days, Vanessa heard nothing from Caleb.

No calls. No messages. Not even a reply to the texts she had sent.

That evening, she stood by the window with her phone clutched in one hand. Beyond the glass, the sky glowed an ominous red, the distant wildfire staining the clouds like blood.

Suddenly, a key scraped against the front-door lock.

Vanessa turned sharply, and froze.

Caleb stood in the doorway. He looked exhausted, his face pale and his clothes rumpled, but he was alive.

She crossed the room before she even realized she was moving.

"Where have you been?" Her voice broke. "I was so worried. I thought something happened to you."

"I was in the hospital, babe," Caleb said. "But I’m fine now."

His expression softened. "I'm home now."

He pulled her into his arms. The familiar scent. The warmth.

The tension inside Vanessa finally gave way. Caleb held her tightly, pressing her face against his chest as relief washed over her. When he lifted her chin and kissed her, she closed her eyes, almost dizzy with happiness.

Then she opened her eyes.

Caleb’s face was gone.

She was kissing a blackened skull, its remaining scraps of burned flesh alive with writhing maggots.

Vanessa screamed and jolted awake.

The gray ceiling of her office stared back at her. Beyond the blinds, it was still daylight. She had fallen asleep on the sofa.

For several seconds, she could not move.

The air conditioner hummed overhead. Cold sweat soaked the back of her blouse, and her heart slammed against her ribs so violently that it hurt.

A dream. It had only been a stupid dream.

Vanessa covered her face with both hands and forced herself to breathe.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Mrs. Reyes?" Her assistant, Priya, entered with a fresh cup of coffee. She stopped when she saw Vanessa sitting rigidly on the sofa. "Are you... all right?"

"I’m fine."

Vanessa pushed herself upright and smoothed down her blouse, rebuilding the polished expression everyone expected from her.

"Of course." Priya lowered her eyes and quietly went out.

The moment the door shut, Vanessa's composure crumbled again.

She had barely slept in days because Caleb had disappeared.

That bastard had actually gone five entire days without contacting her!

Even after their worst arguments, he had never stayed away for more than three. He always came back first, he always apologized, even when she was the one who had hurt him.

Her phone suddenly vibrated. Vanessa snatched it up, her pulse quickening.

It was only Julian.

Julian: Dinner tonight? I know a place you’ll love.

Vanessa stared at it for a moment, then swiped the notification away. Instead, she opened her conversation with Caleb.

His last messages were still there.

Caleb: What do you want for dinner? Leave me a message. I’ll pick up groceries after my shift.

Caleb: Babe, there’s a fire at the Ashworth Hotel. I’m heading over now.

Vanessa read them twice.

That night, Caleb had rushed into the burning hotel to save strangers. And found her with Julian.

A wave of anger rose inside her, sharp enough to push back the unease.

What exactly did Caleb expect from her?

Julian had helped secure the Vantage sponsorship for the Beacon Family Relief Fund. That was the explanation she kept reaching for: a successful deal, a celebration, too much wine.

Her mind skirted the bathrobes, the locked suite, the things she had said to him afterward in her own kitchen. She preferred the version in which business had simply become a little too personal.

Whatever Caleb believed he had seen, she refused to call it a betrayal.

So Caleb had no right to punish her like this.

She was not the villain here.

Definitely not.

Her gaze returned to Caleb’s final message, the one he had sent just before entering the fire.

The blackened skull from her dream flashed through her mind.

"Priya!"

Her assistant appeared a moment later.

"I need you to find out where Engine Seven has been deployed."

Priya blinked. "Engine Seven?"

"My husband’s unit." Vanessa rose and began pacing. "Call his station. Find out whether they’ve been sent anywhere during the past five days."

"I’ll look into it."

As soon as Priya left, Vanessa stared at Caleb’s name on her screen.

For five days, she had refused to call him. She had told herself that he would come crawling back when he realized how ridiculous he was being.

But now her thumb hovered over the call button, and pressed it.

The phone rang once before going straight to voicemail.

Vanessa was suddenly aware of how quiet the office had become.

By the time Priya returned fifty minutes later, Vanessa had called Caleb eleven times.

"Mrs. Reyes," Priya said carefully, "I found out where his unit went."

Vanessa stood so quickly that her phone nearly slipped from her hand.

"They were sent to the wildfire in Cedar Ridge County."

The blood drained from Vanessa’s face. She remembered that fire.

Five days ago, while she and Caleb were arguing, the news had been playing in the background. She had turned back to the stove and Julian without paying much attention. Then Caleb had taken a call, packed his bag, and left. She had never asked where he was going.

"No." She shook her head. "That fire isn’t even in our county."

"It became too severe for the local departments to handle. Several nearby stations were called in. Mr. Reyes’s unit was among the first reinforcements sent."

"And..." For the first time, Vanessa found herself afraid to ask. "Were there casualties?"

Priya's voice was noticeably quieter. "Fifteen firefighters have been confirmed dead. The authorities haven’t released their names yet."

"But they’re beginning to bring the fire under control," Priya added quickly. "Mr. Reyes is an experienced firefighter. I’m sure he’s all right."

Vanessa closed her eyes.

Priya did not know. Caleb had been missing for five days. His messages had gone unanswered, and now every call went to voicemail.

And after what had happened with Julian, what if he had thrown himself into the fire because he no longer cared what happened to himself?

When Vanessa opened her eyes again, all the hesitation was gone.

"Find the exact location of the command center," she ordered.

Priya stared at her. "You’re going there?"

"Yes."

"Mrs. Reyes, the roads may still be closed—"

"Then find me a road that isn’t!"

Vanessa snatched up her coat and strode toward the door.

Whatever had happened between her and Caleb was between them.

He was still her husband.

And whether he was alive or dead, she was going to find him.