The Firefighter's Final Goodbye

Chapter 2

Dustin woke as pale morning light filtered through the blinds. His leg was locked in a heavy plaster cast, and his throat still burned raw from the toxic smoke.

He picked up his phone from the bedside stand.

There were missed calls from his crew and urgent alerts from the harbor office, but nothing from Elena.

Dustin set the phone down. Whatever feelings he had once harbored for her had drowned in that flooded, burning hull.

He dialed his lawyer.

"Simon, it's Dustin Rhodes. I need a divorce agreement drafted today."

Silence hung over the line. Simon had known him since their college days and knew precisely how much Dustin had sacrificed to stay by Elena's side.

"A divorce?" Simon asked cautiously, his voice dropping. "You turned down the capital post for her. You spent five years building your life there. What happened?"

"There's nothing left to save," Dustin said, looking out at the gray sky. "The house is in her name, so she keeps it. Split our joint bank accounts down the middle. I just want my personal belongings, my truck, and a clean break."

Simon paused. "If your mind is made up, I'll prepare the papers today."

Dustin hung up and immediately called the base logistics office. "Chief Miller, this is Captain Rhodes. I need a room in the officers' dormitory starting tomorrow."

"Captain, we heard about the wreck! Are you alright?" Miller hesitated. "Room 304 is open, but don't you live with your wife at the villa?"

"My duties require me to stay dockside," Dustin said evenly. "Leave the key at the front desk tonight."

Opening his banking app, he transferred his salary out of their joint account and removed Elena as the primary beneficiary on his maritime life insurance policy.

For five years, he had quietly handled every bill and repaired every leak so she could build her corporate empire. Now, he severed those ties one by one.

***

At two in the afternoon, the door swung open.

Elena walked in wearing an elegant wool coat. She stopped two steps from the bed, her fingers tightening instinctively around the strap of her leather purse.

Her eyes drifted to the heavy cast on his leg and the angry chemical burns along his neck before she quickly looked away.

"Why didn't you call me?" Her voice came out sharp, though it cracked at the very end. "I waited all morning. I knew you were in the hospital, but you didn't even bother to tell me which room you were in."

Dustin looked at his wife with chilling detachment. "I was trapped with a broken leg in rising seawater, Elena. Did you expect me to text you while I was struggling not to drown?"

She looked toward the window, her jaw working. "You're a trained rescue captain with your crew right there. I knew they would pull you out."

"And my breathing gear?" Dustin asked quietly. "You ripped the mask right off my face for Caleb."

Her eyes flickered, and she shifted her weight uncomfortably. "He has weak lungs, Dustin. Another minute in that smoke and he could have—" She stopped, swallowed hard, and started again. "His sister died saving my life, and I promised her I would protect him."

Dustin stared at her. "You promised to come back for me in five minutes. Why didn't you?"

Elena's gaze dropped to the floor. For a long moment, she said nothing. When she finally spoke, her voice was much quieter. "Caleb was coughing up blood, and his son was crying at the hotel. I had to look after them until noon."

She looked up, a flash of guilt crossing her face. "You're a grown man, Dustin. You've always been the strong one." She pressed her lips together. "I thought you would be fine."

The words landed heavily between them. Because he was strong, she felt entirely justified leaving him behind to die.

Dustin looked down at his broken leg, remembering the agonizing torture of dragging himself up the flooded ladder in the dark.

"You thought I would be fine," he repeated softly.

Elena shifted her grip on her purse and avoided his eyes. "There's another matter. It's about the official accident report for the *Ocean Pioneer*."

Dustin looked at her. "What about it?"

"Caleb kept the ship out in the bay to finish the survey," she said, stepping closer and lowering her voice. "If your report says he ignored the storm warning, the board will revoke his license and fire him. His ex-wife will use it to take his son."

"He broke maritime safety laws and put twelve lives in direct danger," Dustin countered. "I'm reporting what actually happened."

She placed a trembling hand on the edge of his blanket. "Just write that the steering failed unexpectedly and the crew had no time to turn back. Please, Dustin. I'm asking you."

Dustin looked down at her hand. "You want me to lie on an official state investigation and risk my captain's license to protect Caleb Hayes."

"It's one small change!" Her tone turned defensive. "Caleb has a child depending on him. You have a secure career, and helping him costs you nothing."

Dustin said nothing.

Elena pulled her hand back and straightened up, her expression hardening. "Don't let your jealousy toward Caleb make this personal. Be the bigger man. That's all I'm asking."

Every single word proved that his life, his honor, and his pain meant nothing to her.

"Every word in my report will be the truth," Dustin said steadily. "I won't tell a single lie for him. And while you're here, let's settle something else."

He looked directly into her eyes.

"Elena, let's get a divorce."

The room went completely still.

Elena froze, her lips parting in shock before her expression hardened into a defensive scoff.

"A divorce? Are you really throwing a tantrum over Caleb? You want to throw away five years just because I looked after him first?"

Dustin said nothing, watching her without a trace of anger.

Her jaw clenched at his silence. "You need to calm down and think straight after surviving that crash. Once you're discharged, we'll talk like adults."

She grabbed her purse and walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind her.

Dustin sat alone in the quiet room. He looked down at the silver band on his left hand—the ring he had worn through five years of brutal storms and dangerous rescues.

He twisted the cold metal off his finger, leaving a pale, faded line on his skin, and set it down on the bedside table.

Picking up his phone, he called Simon once more.

"Simon, finalize the divorce agreement and file it with the court today," Dustin said calmly. "I want a clean break."