---- Chapter 8 Chloe, radiant and beaming, rushed over to me and Liam the next day at a family brunch. She thrust her hand out, showcasing the enormous diamond. "Isn't it perfect?" she sighed. Then, she looked at me, her eyes sparkling. "Ava, as my future sister-in-law, and Liam's fiancée, I'd love your blessing. It would mean so much to me." She was so innocent, so completely unaware of the tangled web Ethan had woven. | looked at Ethan, who was watching us with a smug, possessive expression. He thought he had it all - his past love secured, his future with me still, in his mind, on hold. "Of course, Chloe," | said, my voice carefully neutral. "| wish you both... all the happiness you deserve." Liam put a supportive hand on my back. The brunch was at a private club, one of those old New York institutions. Suddenly, alarms blared. Shouts erupted from the kitchen area. "Fire! There's a fire!" Smoke began to pour into the dining room. Chaos erupted. People screamed, scrambling for the exits. Ethan reacted instantly. He grabbed a hand - the nearest one - and started pulling. "Come on! We need to get out!" He thought he'd grabbed Chloe. ---- He'd grabbed me. For a split second, our eyes met. His widened in momentary confusion, then panic. He looked wildly around for Chloe, who was a few feet away, frozen in fear. Without a second's hesitation, he shoved me away, hard. "Ava, move!" He lunged for Chloe, grabbing her arm. "Chloe! This way!" He pulled her towards the nearest emergency exit, not looking back. | stumbled from his push, my ankle twisting painfully beneath me. | fell to the ground, the smoke thickening, burning my lungs. | tried to get up, but my ankle wouldn't support my weight. Pain shot up my leg. Through the haze, | saw Ethan and Chloe disappear through the exit. He hadn't even checked if | was okay. He'd just... left me. The heat was intense. Flames were licking at the doorway to the kitchen. The smoke was making it hard to breathe, hard to see. | crawled, dragging my injured leg, desperate to find a way out. A piece of burning debris fell from the ceiling, landing on my other arm, the one that had been burned by the coffee. Searing pain, again. | think | screamed. Then, strong arms were around me, lifting me. Liam. ---- He carried me out through a side exit, his face grim, his clothes singed. | woke up in a hospital room. The smell of antiseptic was sharp, familiar. A doctor was talking to Liam in hushed tones. "severe smoke inhalation... second-degree burns on her left forearm, aggravating the previous injury.. and a badly sprained ankle, possibly fractured. She's lucky. A few more minutes in there..." Lucky. Ethan appeared later. Chloe was with him, looking pale but unharmed. "Ava! Thank God you're okay!" Ethan said, his voice full of what sounded like relief. "That was terrifying." He fussed around my bed, fluffling my pillows, offering me water. Chloe hovered nearby, looking concerned. "| was so worried about Chloe," Ethan explained, as if | needed to hear it. "She panics so easily." He didn't mention leaving me behind. | just looked at him, my throat too sore from the smoke to speak. My new burn throbbed under the bandages. A nurse came in. "Mr. Carter?" she addressed Ethan. "Dr. Ramirez needs to speak with you and Ms. Davis about Ms. Davis's follow-up for smoke exposure. And then, Mr. Liam Carter, about Ms. Miller's condition and care plan." Ethan nodded. "Of course. Chloe first." He took her arm solicitously. ---- They left. Liam stayed, his expression unreadable. The silence in the room was heavy. Later, a senior physician, Dr. Albright, came to see me, Liam by her side. "Ms. Miller," she began, her tone serious. "We have a bit of a situation. Due to the fire, the hospital is overwhelmed. We have one specialized burn treatment room available immediately. Both you and another patient, a Ms. Chloe Davis, have sustained burns that would benefit from it to minimize scarring. Ms. Davis's burns are superficial, mostly first-degree on her hands from touching a hot doorknob, but she's quite distressed about potential cosmetic damage." My heart sank. | knew where this was going. "Your burns, Ms. Miller," Dr. Albright continued, "are more significant, particularly the re-burn on your forearm. Delaying the specialized debridement and grafting procedure could result in more prominent, permanent scarring and a longer healing time." She looked uncomfortable. "Mr. Ethan Carter is Ms. Davis's primary contact and fiancé. He... he has been asked to indicate preference, given the limited resource." Liam stiffened beside me. "And?" | whispered, already knowing the answer. Dr. Albright sighed. "Mr. Ethan Carter, after some deliberation, has requested that Ms. Davis receive the immediate treatment in the specialized room. He stated her emotional state is very fragile and any scarring would be devastating for her.' ---- Devastating for her. What about me? | wasn't surprised. Not anymore. Hurt, yes. A deep, weary ache. But not surprised. This was Ethan. Consistent to the last. | closed my eyes. The throbbing in my arm intensified, or maybe it was just the pain in my heart. The world went dark.