Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 451 It was 7:00 am. There weren't many residents in the area, but acrowd had now gathered. "What a massive fire." "It's burning out of control... Ithink there are people trapped inside." Fire trucks were lined up, battling the blaze. In minutes, the two-story building was completely engulfed in flames that could take lives in an instant. Police set up a perimeter 50 yards out. And even from that distance, the heat was overwhelming. Jackson and his assistants crawled across the ground, coughing and vomiting. Their lungs were scorched from the smoke.

Jackson knew that he was in trouble. Aside from him, firefighters had pulled out a middle-aged woman from the blaze. Her hair was wild and matted, but no one could tell whether her hands were burned or trembling from shock. She sobbed uncontrollably, streaks of tears cutting through the ash and grime on her skin. Calvin drove as fast as he could from Nashwark, whereas Sebastian and Alexander climbed out of the car. ---- Flames shot into the sky, and the smoke was so thick it darkened the sky. Both men froze, a jolt running through them. They arrived too late.

Even as they pushed past the barricade, the heat felt like it could melt their skin. Sebastian's expression was dark and lifeless as his eyes locked on Wendy, who collapsed on the ground. He seized her by the throat, demanding, "Where is Valeria?" "My daughter..." Wendy trembled, unable to answer him. She gasped for breath under his hand, her voice hoarse and broken. "My daughter's gone... Everything is gone..." Sebastian's chest seized, disbelief tearing through him like claws ripping him open. "No... Valeria is fine.

She has to be fine." His eyes fixed on the white building already swallowed by flames. As he lunged forward, the firefighters and police caught him before he could get close. "Sir, [know you're upset, but you need to stay calm." "You can't go in. The fire's too strong." "You'll be walking to your death." Even the firefighters , fully suited, couldn't break inside once the blaze spread. All they could do was fight the flames from a distance. ---- "Then, let me die with her!" Sebastian's voice was hoarse, his eyes desperate.

He fought to break free, veins standing out on his neck, until at last, his strength gave out and he dropped to his knees. The roar of the flames and the shouts around him swallowed the sound of his grief. His voice was hoarse as he screamed in agony, "Valeria!" Around him, the residents pressed in, murmuring under the glow of the fire. "With such flames, anyone inside must've burned alive." "What a shame. Was that man's wife in there?" "How could a blaze like this break out and swallow the whole clinic?" Suddenly, a figure burst from the fire, body engulfed in flames.

She was a human torch, stumbling forward before collapsing to the ground. She was rolling and screaming in agony. Firefighters trained their hoses on her, finally beating back the flames. When the smoke cleared, Gabriella lay on the ground, barely alive, her skin charred raw, her breath a shallow whisper. Her eyes fluttered weakly toward Alexander and Wendy. However , the two of them stood hollow, consumed by grief. ---- Whether Gabriella lived or died no longer seemed to matter because Valeria had perished inside that fire. Wendy suddenly convulsed, staring at her hands.

One was scorched with the skin peeling, but all she saw was blood." I'ma killer... I killed our daughter." Alexander shuddered, barely able to stay upright. He had no words for her as grief left him speechless. It was a cruel twist of fate. The very day he learned he hada daughter was the day he lost her. And in some way, it was his fault. Why was he still alive, left to suffer like this? On the ground, Sebastian was on his knees as he lowered his head. Tears slid down his nose and fell to the dirt.

Police held his arms back to keep him from charging into the flames, but they couldn't bring themselves to comfort him. He never imagined that this goodbye would be final. He thought if he ever lost Valeria, it would be when they were both old and gray, still holding on to each other through every sickness and disaster. He never dreamed their farewell would be here at this very moment.