Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring
Billionaire Shadow 136

Chapter 136

With every step up the stairs, Alexander's whole body screamed in agony; his legs shook. The searing smoke was tearing at his throat, cutting through his lungs. Sweat streamed down his face, soaking into his clothes, but he kept going, ignoring the pain, the exhaustion, and the hopelessness that threatened to crush him. Emma! I have to save Emma!

Each floor seemed like an eternity to him, but he did not care. He would gladly sacrifice his body, his future, his everything if it meant he could get to her. He'd rather be a broken man if it means she'd live, than an able man without her.

Finally, he reached the 69th. His legs staggered at the smoky corridor as he struggled inside. The heat was suffocating, and debris littered the ground, making each step a dangerous gamble

"Emma!" Alexander screamed hoarsely, throat raw from smoke and desperation, "Emma!"

There was no response to his question. Alexander stepped forward, dodging falling planks and burning debris in his frantic attempt to look through every room. Each second felt like a lifetime, and with every empty room, dread clawed deeper into his chest. "Please," he whispered- tears streaming down his soot covered face.

And then through the smoke, he saw her.

Lifeless under a broken table, the body of Emma lay, hardly recognisable amidst the ruins.

Fire danced precariously close to her, yet still she was, miraculously, out of its reach. His heart twisted painfully as he stumbled toward her, his legs nearly giving out beneath him.

"Emma!" he cried, dropping to his knees beside her. His hands trembled as he moved her hair back, revealing her soot blackened face. Her skin was sallow, her lips chapped, but to Alexander she was still the loveliest woman he'd ever laid eyes 1. on.

"Wake up, please," he whispered, his voice cracking as more tears rolled down his cheeks. "Don't leave me. I don't want to lose you. I can not live without you. Not like this."

As he slid his arms under her body frame to lift her, a miracle happened. Emma's eyelids fluttered, and hér lips moved weakly. He froze, hardly daring to breathe as she whispered in a voice so faint it was almost lost to the chaos around them. "Alexander. Emily and Ethan... they're your children."

Her words struck him like a thunderbolt, and his mind reeled with the revelation. His children? The twins were his? Pain and disbelief washed over him and fresh tears began streaming from his eyes.

How could she keep such a truth away from him?

How could she take away his chance of him getting to know his children?

But now wasn't the time for anger or questions. She had fainted again, her body as lifeless as a doll in his arms.

Alexander rose to his feet, every fibre in his body protesting wildly. He lurched towards a window. His legs barely supported him, and going down the stairs again was out of the question.

Through the smoke and dust, he saw the firefighters down below with their equipment working relentlessly to suppress the fire. There was one drone in the air looking at Alexander directly. Within the next few moments, the rescue lift cradle moved towards the window. Emma clutched tightly against his chest as Alexander stepped onto the lift cradle with slow, gentle movements.

11:12 Sat, Jan 4

Chapter 136

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As they descended, the world outside came into focus. Cameras lashed, and a sea of onlookers erupted into cheers and applause. Alexander barely registered it, his focus entirely on the woman in his arms. Reporters hailed him as a hero, praising his bravery, but Alexander didn't feel like a hero. He felt like a man who had come too close to losing everything.

Once they reached the ground, paramedics ran up to them, snatching Emma from his arms onto a stretcher. He tumbled on to the floor, the strength of his legs now giving out beneath him and he fell to the pavement. Some of the paramedics run up to him, too, tossing him onto another stretcher.

He didn't let Emma out of his sight until he was forced into the ambulance. The hope that she was going to make it was very low but at least, she was now in good hands.

AAAAA

Sitting in the airport lounge and waiting for her flight, Annie was still bubbly with the news of Emma's supposed death. She had started daydreaming about the new life she was going to enjoy with Alexander without the burden of Emma's existence. For the very first time in years, everything seems to fall into place.

Sipping her coffee, she idly opened her phone, intending to scroll through the news to relish the news, but the first image that greeted her was beyond expectation.

There it was, plastered across every news outlet, a picture of Alexander, his face streaked with soot, his eyes filled with desperation, cradling an unconscious Emma in his arms; he stood at the shattered window of the 69th floor of the Diana House. Annie's breath caught in her throat; her fingers were trembling, her eyes fixed on the screen. Her heart began to pound, and the shock gave way to a furiously boiling anger inside her. What was Alexander doing there in the first place? It was unimaginable. Her mind reeled. Alexander had risked his life to save Emma. The image spoke louder than words.

Hot tears streamed down Annie's face under he mask. She wiped at her face furiously, her chest tightening with the realization that Alexander had never loved her the way he loved Emma. After all these years, and after all her effort still, he chose Emma. Desperately, Annie scrolled through the comments section, hoping for some support, but what she read made her burning anger grow stronger.

'Alexander is such a hero; he still loves Emma so much.

'Not all heroes wear cape!

"They've gone through so much together, really. I do hope they reconcile.

'Annie was the one who broke their family apart. I'm rooting for you too."

"True love always wins. Emma and Alexander deserve to be happy, and I hope Jaden found his love.

Every comment was like a dagger to Annie's heart. Public opinion had turned against her, and netizens referred to her as the homewrecker who had destroyed a happy family. The video where Alexander had referred to Emma as his wife before running inside the burning building was everywhere. The fans that had once supported her were now rooting for Emma and Alexander, wishing they could reunite.

Her knuckles whitened as her grip on the phone tightened. The walls of the airport lounge closed in on her. The only thing she could really hear was the pounding of her heart, the mocking whisper of her failure.

Sat, Jan 4

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