###Chapter 7
The last thing I heard was Victor's panicked shouts.
When I woke up, I was lying in an empty hospital room. I got out of bed and limped out of the hospital.
Back home, I learned from the maid that Uncle Sam had been sent back to his hometown by Victor.
That meant now I did not have someone to rely on.
Not wanting to leave any trace of myself in this place, I took out my treasured photos, my diary filled with my thoughts, the gifts he gave me… and threw them all into the fire.
The flames devoured twenty years of memories and also devoured my most ardent love.
Behind me, Brielle's curious voice suddenly came. "What are you burning?"
I ignored her and threw the last diary into the fire.
The flames reflected on Brielle's exquisite makeup, but her expression was exceptionally cold.
"What are you still being so arrogant about? You've seen it yourself, Victor hasn't loved you for a long time. For me, he'd make you wish you were dead, but it's still not enough, dear sister!"
Before she finished speaking, she kicked over the brazier.
I was startled. Burning paper and sparks flew everywhere and the sofa curtain next to me burst into flames.
"Are you crazy, Brielle?!" I tried to put out the flames, but she tripped me and I almost fell into the fire.
The fire spread rapidly and thick smoke filled the entire room.
Downstairs, the maid's terrified screams came.
"Call 119 quickly! Fire!"
My leg, injured by Victor's kick, throbbed with pain. I tried to escape, but Brielle kicked me down, blocking the doorway.
I struggled, "What are you doing? We'll be burned to death!"
She stomped hard on my wrist, her smile growing increasingly sinister. "Only you will die, my dear sister. After today, I'll be the Whitmore Family's only daughter, the Wellington Family's future daughter in-law!"
A series of hurried footsteps approached. Brielle instantly released her foot and fell to the ground.
The next second, the door was violently flung open.
"Bella!"
Victor rushed in, oblivious to the raging flames, his face filled with unprecedented panic.
But when he saw Brielle there, he stopped abruptly.
"Brielle, what are you doing here?!"
"Save me, Victor!"
"Victor, save me..."
Brielle and I simultaneously reached out to the man, our eyes filled with a desperate will to survive.
Brielle pointed at me, crying, "My sister's gone mad! She said it's all my fault, she wants to die with me and she set the room on fire!"
"I didn't..." I tried to deny it, but the thick smoke choked me, preventing me from speaking a complete sentence.
Victor's eyes instantly turned cold and sharp. His hesitant hand reached for Brielle, scooping her up in his arms.
"The firefighters will be here soon. You just wait."
My heart tightened. He carried Brielle and rushed out of the inferno without looking back.
I stood frozen, the last vestige of warmth in my chest extinguished.
In the end, he didn't choose me.
Watching the rapidly closing flames, a surge of resentment welled up inside me. I didn't want to die. I didn't want Brielle to succeed!
Just then, a deafening roar came from outside the window.
"Bella!"
I desperately rushed to the window. There, clinging to the ladder, was a man in a black trench coat.
It was Bastian!
He had arrived ahead of time!
"Jump over. Trust me, I'll catch you."
The flames surged towards me. Without hesitation, I climbed onto the windowsill and leaped. I fell into a warm, firm embrace.
Bastian smiled at me amidst the raging flames. "Bella, I've come to take you away."
"Thanks." I clung tightly to him as the helicopter carried us higher and higher, farther and farther away.
In the distance, a black sedan stopped. A man jumped out, gazing futilely at the raging fire, a sudden emptiness in his heart.
I calmly withdrew my gaze and whispered, "Just consider myself dead in this fire. From now on, Bella Whitmore will never exist again."
"Okay." Bastian held me tighter.
Victor, I will make you remember that day, the oath you swore at my mother's bedside.
