2026-07-18 01:33:34For five days, Erin heard nothing from Derek.
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.
Erin turned sharply, and froze.
Derek 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,” Derek 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 Erin finally gave way. Derek 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.
Derek’s face was gone.
A blackened skull hovered inches from hers, its burned flesh alive with writhing maggots.
Erin screamed and jolted awake.
The gray ceiling of her office stared back at her.
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.
Erin covered her face with both hands and forced herself to breathe.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Mrs. Moss," Her secretary, Kittly Jean, entered with a fresh cup of coffee. She stopped when she saw Erin sitting rigidly on the sofa. “Are you... all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Erin pushed herself upright and smoothed down her blouse, rebuilding the polished expression everyone expected from her.
“Of course.” Kitty lowered her eyes and quietly went out.
The moment the door shut, Elise's composure crumbled again
She had barely slept in days because Derek 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. Erin snatched it up, her pulse quickening.
Derek?
It was only Nick.
Nick: Dinner tonight? I know a place you’ll love.
Erin stared at it for a moment, then swiped the notification away. Instead, she opened her conversation with Derek.
His last messages were still there.
Derek: Babe, there’s a fire at the Grandview Hotel. I’m heading over now.
Derek: What do you want for dinner? Leave me a message. I’ll pick up groceries after my shift.
Erin read them twice.
That night, Derek had rushed into the burning hotel to save strangers. And found her with Nick.
A wave of anger rose inside her, sharp enough to push back the unease.
What exactly did Derek expect from her?
Nick had secured a massive investment for her foundation. They had celebrated. They had drunk too much. He had kissed her, and for a few moments, she had kissed him back...
But the fire stopped it before they slept together. She had not crossed the final line.
So Derek had no right to act as though she had committed some unforgivable betrayal.
She was not the villain here.
Definitely not.
Her gaze returned to Derek’s final message, the one he had sent just before entering the fire.
The blackened skull from her dream flashed through her mind.
“Kitty!”
Her secretary appeared a moment later.
“I need you to find out where Engine Seven has been deployed.”
Kitty blinked. “Engine Seven”
“My husband’s unit.” Erin 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 Kitty left, Erin stared at Derek’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.
Erin suddenly aware of how quiet the office had become.
By the time Kitty returned fifty minutes later, Erin had called Derek eleven times.
“Mrs. Moss,” Kitty said carefully, “I found out where his unit went.”
Erin stood so quickly that her phone nearly slipped from her hand.
“They were sent to the wildfire in Los Vangees County.”
The blood drained from Erin’s face. She remembered that fire.
Five days ago, while she and Derek were arguing, the news had been playing in the background. Erin had changed the channel without paying too much attention.
“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. Moss’s unit was among the first reinforcements sent.”
“And...” For the first time, Erin found herself afraid to ask. “Were there casualties?”
Kitty's voice was noticeably quieter. “Fifteen firefighters have been confirmed dead. The authorities haven’t released their names yet.”
“But the fire is under control now,” Kitty added quickly. “Mr. Moss is an experienced firefighter. I’m sure he’s all right.”
Erin closed her eyes.
Kitty did not know. Derek had been missing for five days. His phone had been switched off the entire time.
And after what had happened with Nick, what if he had thrown himself into the fire because he no longer cared what happened to himself?
When Erin opened her eyes again, all the hesitation was gone.
“Find the exact location of the command center,” she ordered.
Kitty stared at her. “You’re going there?”
“Yes.”
“Mrs. Moss, the roads may still be closed—”
“Then find me a road that isn’t!”
Erin snatched up her coat and strode toward the door.
Whatever had happened between her and Derek was between them.
He was still her husband.
And whether he was alive or dead, she was going to find him.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 009
Derek survived. Barely.After the explosion hurled him and the elderly owner of the West estate through the second-floor window, Rodriguez drove them back to the emergency camp like a man possessed.The doctors managed to stabilize Derek, but only just. He had two cracked ribs, burns along his left arm, a deep gash near his temple, significant smoke inhalation, and bruises covering nearly every inch of his body.The doctor ordered him to remain in the recovery tent. But Derek lasted less than twenty minutes.He could no longer fight the fire, but he could still carry supplies. He could still sort equipment. He could still help the medics bandage men whose injuries were worse than his.He had just finished helping a firefighter change the dressing on his shoulder when he stepped outside and saw Erin.His wife on paper. His ex-wife in every way that mattered.At first, he thought the pain medication was playing tricks on him.She looked impossibly out of place among the ash, emergency te
Chapter 008
Erin followed the address Kitty had sent her and drove as if the road belonged to no one else.The navigation app said the trip would take an hour. She arrived in forty minutes.For most of the drive, she kept telling herself that she was overreacting.Derek was a firefighter. Disappearing during an emergency did not mean he was dead. His phone could have been damaged. He might have been working without rest. He might simply have been somewhere with no signal.There were dozens of reasonable explanations. But the closer she came to the wildfire zone, the harder they became to believe.Blackened trees stood along the highway like charred bones. Entire stretches of ground had been burned bare. Road signs had warped from the heat, and the remains of abandoned vehicles sat along the shoulder, their windows blown out.Erin tightened both hands around the steering wheel.By the time she reached the coordinates Kitty had given her, the road ahead had been blocked by emergency vehicles and tem
Chapter 007
For five days, Erin heard nothing from Derek. 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. Erin turned sharply, and froze. Derek 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,” Derek 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 Erin finally gave way. Derek 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 ey
Chapter 006
The estate had been beautiful once.Derek could tell even now with the iron gates buckled by heat, the cypress trees reduced to black spires, the fountain in the courtyard cracked and dry. Someone had built this place with the idea that it would last.Unfortunately, the fire had other plans. The east wing had already begun to fold in on itself. Flames moved behind the windows, bright and restless, while smoke poured through every opening in thick black waves.Derek pulled his mask tight and plunged inside.“Derek.” Rodriguez’s voice crackled through his earpiece, strained despite his effort to remain calm. “Backup is on the way. Are you hurt? If you can’t find him, pull out now.””Derek glanced toward the stairs, then down the corridor. He knew a man was dying dozens of feet away.“Just give me three more minutes.”“Derek—”He released the transmitter and started up.The smoke grew denser with every step, not just wood, but synthetics, treated materials, the chemical cocktail, every ex
Chapter 005
After six punishing hours in the back of a fire engine, Derek finally reached hell.Flames towered above the ridgeline, advancing in a rolling orange wall. Pine trees exploded in the heat, each blast cracking like a rifle shot. Above them, smoke devoured the sky until the whole valley burned beneath a blood-red glow.And the air, the air reeked of scorched timber, melted plastic, and something else he could not identify. Only later would he understand that it was the smell of houses, cars, and people.“Derek? Man, Is that you?” A middle-aged firefighter in yellow turnout gear was striding toward him.Rodriguez Hale. Fire chief of Los Vangees County.“Yes, sir.” Derek raised a hand.Rodriguez glanced past him as the rest of the firefighters climbed out.“Where’s Christian?”“Behind us,” Derek said. “His truck broke down. He told us to keep going.”Rodriguez’s expression hardened, but there was no time to dwell on it. He spread a damp, smoke-stained map across the hood of a truck.“The f
Chapter 004
"Derek." Brett's voice was stripped down to essentials, no greeting, no preamble. The voice he used when things were bad. "You're seeing the news?""I'm looking at it now." Derek’s eyes stayed glued to the TV. The flames cast a red glow in his pupils."Our neighbor county, Los Vangees, is gone. The fire’s jumped multiple ridges and is sweeping into residential areas and resorts. The state’s activated cross-county mutual aid."Derek straightened. "What does that mean for us?"“We deploy at 0200. All available personnel.”A pause. "It's bad, Derek, some even say this is the worst wildfire in history. They've already got casualties."Another pause, heavier than the first. "Say goodbye to your family. Properly."Heavy, deep breaths echoed there. They both understood what that meant.The call ended.Derek stood still for a moment, phone in his hand.He wanted to leave. Now.Yet after three years under the same roof, some stubborn part of him still believed Erin deserved a few parting words.
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