The loud noise made her eardrums buzz.
In the distance, the towering flames and thick smoke resembled a fierce beast, hovering on the horizon.
And the busy signal in the phone without an answer felt like a countdown to death, striking her eardrum one after another.
Stella felt as if her heart was gripped tightly by an invisible hand, stopping abruptly for a second, then began to beat wildly, almost breaking her ribcage.
"Shane Donovan..."
She murmured, without any hesitation, turned around and pulled the car door open, diving back into the driver’s seat.
The engine growled lowly, and the car shot out like an arrow, the tires screeching against the ground, startling Aidan Sterling and Isla Sutton who had just stepped out of the house.
"Stella! Where are you going?!" Isla cried out in alarm.
Aidan reacted the quickest, taking several large strides to try and stop her, but Stella had already floored the accelerator, the car darting out like an unleashed arrow, leaving only the screeching tires and exhaust behind.
"Damn!"
Aidan cursed lowly, immediately turning and running towards his own car, "Dad, Mom, you stay home, I’ll chase after her!"
At this moment, Stella’s knuckles gripping the steering wheel turned white from the pressure, and veins bulged on the back of her hand.
Her mind was buzzing with only one thought—go there! Immediately! Now!
All traffic rules and safety concerns were thrown to the back of her mind.
She pushed the accelerator to the floor, the car racing madly down the empty street, the scenery outside the window rushing by so fast it turned into a blur.
Her heart was beating violently in her chest, almost breaking her ribs to jump out.
She kept dialing Shane Donovan’s number, once, twice, ten times... always the busy signal without anyone answering.
The cold ’beep beep beep’ of the busy signal felt like a dull knife, cutting back and forth on her heart.
No...
He’s so capable, he sees everything, how could...
It must be a coincidence, just a general direction...
It couldn’t be Shane Donovan.
He’s lucky and blessed, he certainly must be alright!
She desperately tried to comfort herself, but her eyes uncontrollably warmed up, her vision quickly blurring, she blinked hard, pushing back the moisture, staring dead ahead at the increasingly clear, increasingly terrifying blaze and smoke.
The closer she got, the more acrid the burnt smell in the air, chaotic sirens and the noise of the crowd intermingling, hitting her eardrums.
The road had been blocked.
A long isolation line had been drawn, police officers and firefighters were busy shuttling to maintain order, evacuating bystanders and vehicles.
Stella’s car was blocked on the perimeter.
She slammed on the brakes, barely had time to turn off the engine, and pushed open the car door, stumbling out.
"Miss! You can’t go in there! It’s dangerous!" A police officer immediately stepped forward to stop her.
"Let me in! I’m looking for someone! My fiancé is inside!" Stella’s voice was hoarse, with a tremor she didn’t even notice herself, she tried to push past the officer and rush inside.
"The fire inside isn’t fully under control yet, there’s a risk of a second explosion! No one can approach! Please step back to the safe zone immediately!" The officer stood his ground, his tone strict.
Stella couldn’t listen.
Her gaze pierced through the chaotic crowd, locking onto the area of the blaze at its peak—there, a black sedan engulfed in flames, burned to just its frame appearing intermittently, the model...
It looks like a Lincoln...
Black... Lincoln...
The car Shane Donovan rode today seemed to be...
A chill surged from her feet and spread throughout her body, her blood seemingly freezing at this moment.
She didn’t know where she got the strength, she suddenly knocked aside the officer blocking her path, recklessly rushing towards the sea of flames!
"Hey! Stop! You can’t go there!" Police officers and firefighters shouted behind her.
Not far in her sprint, a tall firefighter swiftly intercepted her, grabbing her firmly with arms like steel clamps.
"Let go of me! Let go of me! He’s in there! Shane Donovan! Shane Donovan is in there!" Stella struggled wildly, her nails leaving scratches on the firefighter’s heavy protective suit, tears finally broke down, mixing with the smoke, leaving a messy trail on her face.
"Miss! Calm down! You can’t go now! It’s too dangerous!" The firefighter’s voice came through the mask, carrying muffled urgency.
"How can I calm down! That might be his car! He might be inside!" Stella screamed, her voice shattered.
Just then, another firefighter responsible for coordinating the scene hurried over, his brows furrowed, even his voice becoming deep, "Miss, please control your emotions! We understand your feelings, but..."
Stella grabbed his arm suddenly, as if clutching the last straw for life, her tear-streaked face was lifted up, her voice shaking beyond recognition: "The car... that black car... the license plate... is the license plate Shanghai A·XXXXX?" She reported Shane Donovan’s Lincoln’s license plate.
The firefighter froze for a moment, evidently surprised she could accurately report the license plate, he glanced at the tablet in hand, glanced back at the direction of the fire, showing an expression of reluctance and confirmation on his face, nodding heavily: "... Preliminary verification, the vehicle that exploded and caught fire is indeed this license plate."
"Boom—!"
Stella felt like her brain was struck by a heavy hammer, suddenly going black, the sharp buzzing in her ears deprived her of all external sounds.
It really is his car...
It really is...
She mustered the last bit of strength, her nails deeply digging into her palm, using all her strength to squeeze out a broken question from her throat: "And... the people inside the car...?"
The firefighter looked at her instantly pale face and shaky body, really not wanting to say that answer, but bound by duty, he could only turn his head slightly, his voice hoarse: "... The explosion was very intense, the fire is too big... We... we haven’t found... any signs of survivors yet. Maybe... maybe..."
"Maybe they can’t be found..." Another firefighter beside him added softly, with endless regret.
They can’t be found...
Such a fierce explosion...
No signs of survivors have been found yet...
Those words combined like a burning hot dagger, brutally stabbed into Stella’s heart, then mercilessly twisted.
All her strength was completely drained at this moment.
The world spun, collapsed, fragmented wildly before her eyes, finally becoming an endless darkness.
"Shane..." She opened her mouth, wanting to shout that name, but could make no sound.
Her body softly fell backward, consciousness completely sank into the abyss.
"Miss!"
"Quick! Medical personnel! Someone has fainted here!"
The chaotic shouts became extremely distant before she completely lost consciousness...