Chapter 367

A surge of dread ripped through Vincent. "Get down!" he barked, his voice raw with urgency as he hurled himself toward Hannah, every muscle straining

Just before his arms could close around Hannah, Erica acted in a way no one foresaw.

Instead of dragging Hannah into disaster with her, Erica gave a fierce shove, flinging Hannah forward-straight into Vincent's chest.

The impact knocked the air out of Hannah as she stumbled into him,startled and unready.

Meanwhile, Erica spun on her heel. With a brutal, final motion,she hurled the lit lighter over her shoulder. It landed in the spreading pooL of gasoline that slicked the floor.

Without a flicker of hesitation, she stepped into the blaze.

In the blink of an eye, the world shattered-an explosion tore through the building, devouring it in flames.

No one witnessed the exact moment, but the shrill cry that split the air made every head turn.

"Watch out!" Vincent bellowed, pulling Hannah to the ground and throwing himself over her, his body shielding hers.

"Secure Mr. Jones and Mrs. Jones!" the bodyguards shouted as they scattered-some forming a protective wall, others dashing for extinguishers.

Panic rippled through the crowd.

Within minutes, sirens blared. Police cordoned off the area vhile firefiahters rushed in, their hoses hissing as they battled while firefighters rushed in, their hoses hissing as they battled the blaze.

When the flames finally surrendered, nothing remained but blackened steel and smoldering debris.

Soot-covered hands sifted through the ruins until they revealed a body, burned beyond recognition, limbs curled tight against the merciless heat.

No one questioned who it was. Every assumption pointed to Erica.

It felt like a Chapter had closed.

Beyond the barricades, the night air still reeked of smoke, ash drifting like gray snowflakes under the streetlights.

Vincent stood rigidly upright, answering the officers' questions in clipped, measured replies. His features were a mask, icy and impenetrable as stone.

A short distance behind, Hannah lingered in silence, her presence quiet but heavy.

Vincent had sent the bodyguards away on purpose. With his back turned to her, he appeared focused on the conversation,every gesture controlled, every word precise.

No one was watching Hannah.That-Vincent knew-was the opening she'd been waiting for, the perfect chance to run away.

Inside, his chest tightened with restless tension. He wasn't relaxed. He was braced. This wasn't negligence-it was deliberate. A test. He had stripped away the barriers, presented her with what looked like an effortless route to freedom. Every obstacle had been cleared. Every chain loosened.

Now, the only question left was brutal in its simplicity: after spending so many days together, would she still attempt to flee? A pulse hammered inside him, a vicious mix of dread and flee? A pulse hammered inside him, a vicious mix of dread and anticipation with every beat.

At last, he shifted his head inch by inch to glance back over his shoulder.

Hannah's eyes weren't on him. They were flicking over the scene around them-careful, calculated-yet he caught every movement. Her gaze snagged on an unattended exit, and the air between them thickened.

He held his silence, letting the tension coil tighter. If she dared to move-just one step forward... If she leaned the slightest bit toward that door, or if even a glimmer of longing broke across her face... He would seize her without hesitation. And once he had her, he'd lock her away in that suite forever. There would be no tenderness, no leniency. No more illusions of freedom.

In his mind, he'd rehearsed this moment a hundred times-the moment he'd catch her mid-flight and show her exactly what trying to escape him would cost.

Yet,when it came-absolutely nothing occurred.

Time crept forward, and the quiet at his back refused to break.She lingered where she was, his coat cloaking her, neither moving nor escaping. There was only stillness, and with it, only surrender. The hollow stare of someone who had barely slipped past death's grip.

A knot in Vincent's chest began to slacken, though only by a fraction. She hadn't tried to run. Why not? Had fear paralyzed her? Or had she finally abandoned the idea of escape altogether?

After finishing his statement to the officers, Vincent turned with measured slowness and closed the gap between them,one steady step after another.

When he stopped in front of her, Hannah lifted her eyes at last.Her voice came out faint, raqqed at the edges, yet clear."| Her voice came out faint, ragged at the edges, yet clear. "Is it over?"

"Yeah," V/incent murmured, his voice rough and low. His eyes stayed fixed on her, scouring the weariness in her gaze for even the faintest spark of rebellion, a flicker of longing to break free. But he found nothing. Her look held only exhaustion,steady and subdued.

His Adam's apple shifted as he swallowed hard. His chest tightened as the words clawed inside him, begging to be spoken. Didn't she want to break free?

But he smothered the thought before it reached his lips. Asking it aloud felt too dangerous-like striking glass already lined with cracks. One wrong touch, and the fragile stillness between them would fall to pieces. Worse, her answer might be something he could never bear.

So instead, he reached out with quiet hands, adjusting the coat resting on her shoulders, a gesture soft enough to hide the turmoil inside him. When his eyes found hers again-calm,luminous, and impossibly clear-his voice came out low,almost tender. "Let's go."

Just as he started to pull away, Hannah did something that stopped him cold. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around his hand.

Vincent stiffened in place, staring at their joined hands as if struggling to accept they were real.

She lifted her face to him, her voice low and worn thin, every word dragged from somewhere deep inside. Yet, what she said struck him harder than anything else. "Let's go home, Vincent.I'm too tired to stay out here." Her delicate fingers had wrapped around his. She had said home. Their home. For a fleeting instant, he allowed himself to believe it-that maybe she truly wanted to stay by his side. The thought swelled inside him, dangerous and tender.

He tightened his hold on her chilled hand, answering with a quiet, unshakable resolve, "Yeah. Let's go home."

From her hiding spot in the darkness, Erica's gaze followed Hannah and Vincent. Her stare was fixed and merciless, glinting like shards of ice as the two of them left.