The look in Rhea's eyes told me she wasn't going to kill herself today. That, at least, was a relief.

Still, she wouldn't just admit it. "Well, what if I am determined to die, huh? Maybe I'll jump off the balcony after you leave!"

"Cool. Jumping off buildings isn't in my job description anymore, so knock yourself out. Just a heads-up, though: this floor isn't high enough. You'll probably survive, but with a broken spine and no control from the waist down. What are you gonna do if that happens?

"So here's a better plan. Grab a bag from the shop downstairs, wrap it around your head, climb to the roof, and then jump. Full satisfaction, guaranteed," I snarked.

"Why you—" She shook with fury. "Why the hell should I get a bag over my head?"

"Out of respect for the cleaning crew! No need to make their job harder. They'll have to spend a lot of effort scrubbing the pavement clean of your brain, right?"

Rhea shut her eyes in fear while snarling, "Fuck you, bozo!"

That was not the look of someone who meant what she said. I was sure I had saved her life. "Alright, enough talk. Give me my badge and ID back. I need to get going. You can, I don't know, start picking out a nice bag for your head."

I extended my hand toward her matter-of-factly, but Rhea shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm not giving them back to you. How dare you tell me how to die?! And you saw me naked! You have to pay for that!"

"Come on, miss. I don't have time for this. Get on with your plan already. I have a fire to put out today!" I replied, snatched my stuff back, and left before she could react.

I had no problem saving her life, but it did not mean I was fond of people like her. I was especially repulsed by high-maintenance, self-centered rich girls like her.

"Stand where you are, bozo!" she yelled. "Grimwald! Did you hear me? You're not getting away with this!"

I ignored her and walked off with my suitcase.

Unbeknownst to me, Rhea opened her palm to reveal a torn scrap of paper—a photo of me she'd ripped from my documents.

"You don't actually look half-bad," she muttered to herself with a smirk. "Sebastian Grimwald, Astergrad Fire Brigade Beta Team… You're not getting away from me."

…

I had no idea I'd become someone's target. All I wanted was to report for duty.

Albert spotted my suitcase and gaped. "Grimwald? Why are you bringing luggage?"

Of course he was surprised. When the odds of surviving a mission were so uncertain, no one bothered packing extra clothes. We lived and often died in the same uniform.

"It's just for my family," I said, lying. "Didn't want to leave this stuff behind in case I don't make it. Might make things harder for them, you know?"

"Grimwald… That's a little grim, don't you think? You're not necessarily going to die, alright?" Albert let out a sigh. "Anyway, our superior got in touch. All our gear's already been moved to the mountain base. It's our turn to report."

Ever since I said goodbye to Hera, I'd been ready for whatever came next. My face barely changed. "Yes, sir. I'm ready."

If he could have, the captain would've taken Sebastian off the roster. Last he heard, the man hadn't even had a child with his wife yet.

"Hey, good news," Albert added. "It rained a few hours ago. Thank God. Helped a lot with the fire. It's mostly under control now. Our team's just heading out to provide backup. So honestly… you don't have to come. We've got this."

Part of me felt relieved. A wildfire under control meant fewer deaths and less destruction. That was always a win.

But thinking about Hera erased any trace of relief. I just wanted to get out of Astergrad for a while.

"No, Captain Holst. Let me go. They still need every hand they can get, right?"

I was so persistent that Albert gave in and let me join the team.

…

By the time we arrived, the fire was mostly under control. The remaining tasks involved statistics and logistics, such as counting heads and recording casualty figures.

I scanned the charred forest floor and felt my personal concerns fade into the background. My focus sharpened.

I stayed at the mountain base for days. Although the wildfire had eased, I still witnessed its cruelty. I watched bodies being carried back to camp. Many comrades had died, and too many were burned beyond recognition.

These frontliners were usually firefighters from nearby towns. Their loved ones had already arrived at camp to identify the bodies. Some were the deceased's wives and children—the sight of their tears struck a painful chord in my chest.

I even saw a few elderly family members. Their frail frames trembled as they approached, and some fainted from shock.

It was a harrowing scene. Yet, I could not help but notice the silence from Hera after several days. She had not even sent me a single message.

To be honest, I wished it were me on the stretcher. I wished my life mattered enough for someone to grieve my passing.

And yet, my wife did not even remember me.

-

Hera left the conference room after a long meeting and suddenly felt a sharp jolt in her chest. It felt as if her heart had skipped a beat. Instinctively, she pressed her hand to her chest, confusion flickering across her face.

Her assistant noticed immediately. "Ms. Bishop? Are you all right? Should we cancel your next meeting so you can take a break?"

"No need. I'm fine," Hera said calmly, shaking her head.

A sudden thought struck her. She glanced at her phone.

There was no message from Sebastian. None at all.

She frowned. The silence unsettled her. "How has Sebastian been doing at the hotel these past few days? Has anyone from management reached out?"

"No, ma'am," Morgan Phelps replied, his voice betraying a hint of surprise. It seemed odd that Hera was suddenly interested in someone she had never appeared to notice or care about.

"I see. Leave me be for a while. I have errands to run," Hera said, then strode out of her office. Moments later, she left the building entirely.

Half an hour later, Hera arrived at the hotel front desk. She flashed her black card and asked, "Please check the activity log for Mr. Sebastian Grimwald over the past few days."

"Ma'am, Mr. Grimwald hasn't stayed here. He arrived on the first day, left with his suitcase shortly after, and hasn't returned since," the young woman answered.

Hera's brows tightened. A flicker of irritation surfaced. She pulled out her phone and called his number.

She had almost never done this before. Yet for the first time, no one answered.

Her frown deepened. What kind of elaborate scheme had Sebastian set in motion?

He was here once?" Hera repeated.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Give me the spare keycard. I want to check the room."

She moved with purpose and unlocked the door. What was that man planning now?

Hera scanned the room. None of the hotel's amenities showed any signs of use. No evidence suggested anyone had lived here.

It was true, then. Sebastian had stayed only briefly before leaving. But why had he come here at all? For his suitcase?

Hera realized she had overlooked that his suitcase was gone. Then, her eyes fixed on a familiar laptop—hers.

"There you are," she murmured. Her gaze shifted to something resting on top. A letter.

The word "Farewell" was written on it. Its message was obvious.

"So this is your latest stunt, Sebastian? No calls or texts, ignoring my calls, leaving a farewell letter, and then disappearing on me?" Hera sneered. "Pathetic."

She tossed the letter into the bin without reading it.

He could vanish all he wanted. Hera doubted he had the nerve to stay away forever. Besides, this worked in Bobby's favor too. She wanted Sebastian gone for now. Whether he holed up in the hotel or somewhere else made no difference.

She pulled a chair from the table and started working on her laptop.

…

Hours passed. Dusk settled over the sky. Hera stood, stretched, and checked her phone.

The only messages came from Edmund—covertly flirtatious texts. No sign of Sebastian.

"He's really going all in on this?" Hera muttered.

She ignored Edmund's texts and scrolled through her conversation with Sebastian. His last message was days old.

Sebastian: [There's a hotel that's on fire! I have to help out!]

Sebastian: [What would you like to have for dinner? I'll buy the ingredients from the grocers once I'm done with my assignment!]

Sebastian: [Don't worry about me, okay?]

The hotel fire was how Sebastian found out about Edmund and Bobby. After that, he stopped messaging her altogether. Hera hadn't replied to a single one of his texts anyway.

Still, she felt strangely adrift. His concern, always tucked into those messages, had become a constant she didn't realize she'd come to expect. Without it, something felt off.

She stared at her phone, growing increasingly irritated.

"Whatever," she muttered.

The screen went black.

Her eyes drifted back to the farewell letter in the trash. Just a few hours ago, she hadn't cared what it said. Now, her curiosity swelled.

"Fine. I'll bite. Let's see how much effort you've put into this latest charade," she grumbled, fishing the letter out of the bin.

Sebastian's handwriting jumped out at her. As she read, her shock only deepened.

[Hera,

[I have made up my mind. You may disagree or argue about the timing with your religious obligations, but our relationship is over.

[I have decided to step out of your life so you and your true love can be together…]

"My… true love?!" Her face twisted in a grimace. "What does he know?!"

Her mind raced to her laptop and the Discord app. Since no one else usually accessed her laptop, Hera never bothered to disable Discord's auto-launch feature when the system started.

In other words, Sebastian had seen their conversation. Every single word.

[Bobby is your biological son, isn't he? You had him with Edmund.

[What I don't understand is why you went through the exhausting act of dating me, hiding things from me, and then enduring a marriage with me for half a decade. Wasn't it suffocating? Wasn't it tormenting?

[From my side, you showed me how much of a fool I was to hold on to you for five years. I ran out of tears, but I wasn't crying for you—I was crying for myself. My heart ached for me.

[As your ex-husband, I hate you. But as a firefighter, I have no regrets about saving your life and theirs. Now, I am a firefighter again. I have an assignment to carry out.

[You can imagine I die on duty if you want, because no matter what happens, we will never see each other again.

[Take care, Hera.

[Farewell.]

Hera's self-assurance vanished. The letter slipped from her fingers, and her mind went blank.

Sebastian had seen their conversation. Worse, it was the very day she had attended Bobby's Parent-Teacher Conference.

There was hardly anything he hadn't discovered.

Sebastian's determination was unmistakable. His words struck her like a hammer pounding her chest. She felt suffocated, her throat tightening.

When she finally regained control, she grabbed her phone and called him again.

"Listen! This isn't what you think! Yes, I had some kind of relationship with Edmund in the past. But that doesn't mean I cheated after we married!" she babbled to herself as she waited for the call to connect. "How dare you throw this at me, Sebastian? You can't decide if the marriage is over on your own. This is a partnership! How dare you disrespect me like this?"

She was panicking, but why? She hadn't done anything that counted as cheating.

How could he just leave without a word, acting like some hotshot? Sebastian used to share everything with her. He always sought her counsel and opinion. Even knowing why he changed didn't make it acceptable.

She remembered he had gone on a dangerous assignment. Now, he wasn't answering.

Her panic grew. Her heart raced. "He shouldn't be offline this long. No mission lasts this long... Is he... still alive?"

She kept calling, but none of her calls went through.

She switched to calling her assistant.

"Good evening, ma'am. How can I help?"

"Morgan, search for any fire or natural disaster reports from the past few days. I need details on their severity and which city fire teams responded. Focus on the Beta Team—that's Sebastian's." Her heart pounded harder. "Do it quickly, Morgan. I want a report as soon as possible."

"Understood."

Morgan stared at his phone, confused. This was the second time today he'd seen his employer act strangely. She had never shown concern for fires or firefighting in the city before.

He began pulling up information, muttering, "My boss is acting a little off, huh?"

Half an hour later, Hera received the report she had been waiting for.

Morgan: [I found it. There hasn't been any fire in Astergard recently, but there's a wildfire in the mountains west of here. Reports say many firefighters from nearby towns have died trying to contain it, which is why Mr. Grimwald and his team were sent to assist.]

Hera's face turned pale as she sprang from the bed. She trembled, her fingers shaking so violently that typing a reply became a struggle.

Hera: [What is the current situation? Any casualties on his team?]

Her emotions blurred into a suffocating haze. All she felt was a choking grip from this unknown fear.

Morgan: [I'm not sure. No reliable updates yet. The wildfire is reportedly coming under control. Ms. Bishop, I'm confident Mr. Grimwald will be fine.]

Hera closed her eyes, helpless. Only she knew Sebastian had shut off his phone long ago. She feared the tone in his farewell letter hinted he might have accepted this mission with a death wish.

She reopened her eyes and texted Morgan.

Hera: [Understood. Thank you. Send me the wildfire's location. I'm going there.]

No matter their personal troubles, Sebastian remained her legal husband. She had the right to see him—alive or dead.

Morgan: [Yes, ma'am. By the way, Mr. Castle made a reservation at a fine dining restaurant for tonight. He thought you had been too busy to answer his texts. Should I inform him?]

Hera made one of her fastest decisions.

Hera: [Tell him to cancel it. I have urgent business tonight.]

Morgan: [Understood.]

Even after the call ended, Hera's nerves did not settle. She could hardly wait for Morgan to send the location. Soon, she found herself speeding west on the freeway. Five minutes later, Morgan sent the coordinates with a warning to be careful.

Hera didn't respond. She pressed the accelerator harder as her car raced forward.

"You better not be dead, Sebastian. You can't just end this without a clear reason. I won't allow it," she muttered.

The GPS estimated the trip would take an hour, but Hera arrived in 40 minutes. Anxiety tightened with every mile. Even from afar, she smelled smoke.

As she approached, the charred forest floor and blackened trunks came into view. Soot and ash covered the ground. She could almost picture Sebastian's fate.

Hera held her breath and pressed the pedal deeper.

Finally, she reached the end of the road. She stepped out, her eyes darting nervously among the firetrucks and campsites. A few uniformed figures hurried about.

'This is it!' she thought and strode toward it.

A few steps in, Hera heard people crying inside a tent. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickened her pace.

'I'm here now, Sebastian. You better be alive,' she thought, her worry tightening her chest.

She reached the camp and faced a grim scene. Firefighters stood alongside ordinary people, all gathered around tents. Each group sobbed beside bodies covered with white sheets.

She froze, her knees threatening to buckle as a chilling thought struck her. 'What if Sebastian lies beneath one of these sheets?'

Her mind blanked under the weight of emotion. She refused to accept it. There was no way she would.

Her eyes reddened. Being near death might tarnish her aura as an Awakenist, but she no longer cared. She began lifting every white sheet within reach. "Sebastian? Are you here?"

She lifted one sheet. No.

That one wasn't him either.

Within minutes, she had revealed several corpses. None resembled Sebastian. Still, she did not relax—too many bodies remained, and hope felt fragile.

As she moved from one body to the next, a young man returned to the camp carrying an injured teammate. His eyes locked on Hera.

He froze. Why the hell was she here?

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. No, my vision was clear. It was Hera Bishop—my soon-to-be ex-wife.

Was she here for me?

I stayed in the corner, watching her check every face beneath the sheets. Her panic was overwhelming. I had never seen her this worried about me before.

It felt as if all the coldness and indifference she had shown me over the years had never existed. For a moment, I thought maybe she still loved me.

Did she still love me?

I wanted to rush to her, to call out. But the moment I took a step forward, I stopped.

In my mind, I saw her and Edmund standing on the stage in Bobby's classroom. I heard her spinning tall tales about their romantic journey. I saw them kiss.

My heart stung, and my hope faded. There was no way she still cared for me. She was probably here to yell at me for wanting a divorce, since this time she was the one reacting to my decision.

My excitement drained away. Her panic no longer moved me.

I would leave her be. I had decided our relationship was over. There was no reason to look back now. Love or hate, her feelings no longer mattered.

In a way, the husband who loved her died in that fire. I was his rebirth, and she would never be part of this new life.

I turned away, left quietly, found a corner where she couldn't see me, and resumed my work.

I wasn't even worried about my teammates recognizing her. Hera never attended any work events anyway. Who would know this stunning woman was my wife?

I watched as grieving family members berated Hera for lifting the sheets off their loved ones. She left, forlorn and defeated. I looked away, uninterested in where she disappeared.

Unbeknownst to me, Hera was nearing a breakdown in her car.