Chapter 139

Susan Thompson opened her eyes shortly after Ethan Sullivan left.

Firecrackers crackled intermittently outside the window.

Though Greenhill City had banned fireworks, today felt unusually lively.

The noise meant nothing to Susan. She only wanted to know if she was alive or dead.

The stabbing pain in her stomach and the agony in her legs confirmed she still breathed.

But what about Ethan?

She glanced around the Willow Lane apartment. That day at Greenhill Mental Hospital hadn't been a hallucination - Ethan had truly returned.

Then why had Nathan Foster lied to her?

Her thoughts moved sluggishly now, each one triggering splitting headaches.

No matter. Ethan was alive. That's all that mattered.

She had to tell him the truth - that she was his biological sister. And warn him about Nathan.

Susan reached for her phone when several notifications flashed across the screen.

Andrew Lucas and Nicole Capra were engaged.

Her fingers nearly lost their grip.

Though she'd expected this, the pain still pierced her heart like a blade. She pressed a hand to her chest, but the ache remained.

As she dialed Ethan's number, thick smoke suddenly filled her nostrils.

Susan coughed violently.

The smoke grew denser, as if the entire apartment were burning.

She had to escape.

Her legs refused to move, forcing her to drag herself off the bed using only her arms. After several attempts, she collapsed onto the floor.

Black smoke now curled beneath the bedroom door.

She crawled toward the exit, only to find it locked from the outside.

Dark plumes began rising from the balcony.

The fire spread rapidly. Soon this room would become an inferno.

Susan dragged herself back toward the bed, fumbling for her fallen phone.

Her trembling fingers accidentally tapped the first contact - Andrew.

The call connected.

"Susan?" Andrew's voice was glacial.

"Andrew, I'm going to die."

A cold laugh answered her. "Today's my engagement to Nicole. What game are you playing now?"

"I'm not trying to ruin anything," Susan whispered, her voice fading. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Good riddance." His tone dripped with scorn. "May you find better luck in your next life."

Tears blurred her vision.

"Thank you for your blessing, Mr. Lucas." With her last strength, she ended the call.

She tried dialing Ethan, but no one answered.

As she began typing a text to reveal the truth, a burning ceiling panel crashed down.

Sparks flew. The phone shattered.

In the balcony's fiery glow, Susan's consciousness dimmed.

One final thought flickered: So this was her fate - to perish in flames.