The silence that followed the explosion was a roaring void. Smoke curled like serpents in the air, wrapping the charred ruins of the penthouse in a choking embrace. The echoes of Ava's scream still lingered in the hallways, fading into the crackle of dying flames and the whimper of wounded walls.
Ava stumbled to her feet, ash clinging to her once-pristine white dress, her heels discarded in the debris. Her arms trembled as she pushed a scorched beam aside and scanned the wreckage. Her ears rang, and for a moment, she couldn't hear anything but her heartbeat.
"Liam!"
There was no answer.
She coughed, her lungs burning. Through the haze, the outline of a collapsed wall came into focus. Beyond it
"Liam!" she screamed again, louder this time, hoarse and raw.
Movement. A groan.
Then, from beneath a slab of plaster and wood, a hand reached out.
