At that moment, the fire truck screeched to a halt. The firefighters leapt into action with practiced precision. Thick hoses uncoiled like serpents and water gushed out in powerful arcs.
The firefighters, clad in heavy gear, moved swiftly and with purpose. Two of them disappeared into the factory, while others continued battling the fire.
When the two firefighters led the Harvey and Lucia out of the factory, the crowd burst into cheers. Even those who had been filming and livestreaming let out shouts of joy, their phones trembling in their hands as they documented the moment.
I stood apart from the chaos, my arms crossed as I watched. My eyes followed Harvey as he stumbled forward, supported by Lucia, who gritted her teeth with effort.
"Harvey!" Evelyn's cry pierced the air. She surged through the crowd and threw herself into Harvey's arms, embracing him tightly. "My son! You've suffered so much!" Cupping his face in her trembling hands, tears streamed down her own as she choked out, "Look at you... look at what you've been through. I thought I'd lost you!" She then dissolved into uncontrollable sobs.
Then, with sudden viciousness, Evelyn's gaze snapped to me. Her finger shot out, trembling with rage as she pointed straight at me. "You! You don't know how much he's suffered! He was trapped in there and you, his wife, wouldn't even open the door!"
The crowd stirred uneasily, murmurs rippling through them like a rising tide. "Look at the kind of woman he married!" Evelyn's voice cut through the growing unease. "She's just standing there, waiting for him to die!"
Several people turned their cameras toward me, their lenses gleaming with the eagerness to capture my reaction. I could feel their eyes bore into me—cold, accusing, relentless. I stood still, my face an unreadable mask, refusing to shrink under their stares.
"Come on, everyone, take a good look at this heartless woman!" a man shouted.
"She wouldn't even unlock the door!" another voice added, laced with disgust.
"This is horrifying. She probably hoped her husband would burn to death in there."
"She's probably got another man," someone muttered darkly. "Why else would she act like this?"
The whispers swelled, a torrent of cruel accusations, each one more ridiculous and cutting than the last. Harvey, still leaning heavily on Lucia, lifted his head slightly. His face was pale, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. He stared at me, his expression a mixture of confusion and pain.
"Maya..." His voice was weak, barely audible over the crowd's noise. Lucia, her arm still supporting him, looked at me with bitter scorn.
"If I had been a moment later," she spat out, her tone sharp, "he might've been burned alive. If he'd died, would you have been satisfied then?"
"Hmph! I think she's been plotting to kill my son all along!" Evelyn shrieked, her face contorted with rage. Her wild eyes darted between me and the crowd as though searching for allies. "Who knows what kind of woman she really is? That fire—maybe she set it herself!"
Harvey blinked weakly, his lips curving into a faint, bitter smile. "Maya... I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice hoarse and broken. "I couldn't get the accounting records. This whole thing is just an accident. I don't blame you. You don't need to feel guilty."
Evelyn's head whipped around. "After everything that's happened, you're still defending her?" she screeched. Her voice cracked with disbelief. "Worried she'll feel guilty? Let me tell you—she won't! She doesn't care. She refused to help you, do you understand? She stood there and watched! She said she was afraid of getting hurt! Do you think a woman like that would ever feel guilty?"
The crowd rippled again, their disdain thick in the air.
Finally, a middle-aged woman stepped out of the crowd and approached me, her expression caught between confusion and contempt. "I don't get it," she said, her voice firm. "Your husband is still speaking up for you. You don't seem like the kind of couple who'd fall apart. Or is it..." She hesitated, narrowing her eyes. "Do you hate your husband?"
I shook my head slowly, my voice soft but clear. "Actually, I love him very much."
The woman froze, stunned by my words. Her brows furrowed and she blinked at me as if trying to decipher a riddle. "If you love your husband and your relationship with him seems good, then why..."
"Stop it," Harvey murmured, his voice faltering. His eyes fluttered closed and his body slumped suddenly, all strength leaving him.
"Harvey? Harvey!" Evelyn shrieked, her hands shaking him as panic filled her voice. "My son! My son, what's wrong? You can't leave us! Please, I'm begging you! Somebody, help us! Save him!"
Evelyn's wails rang out as Harvey's unconscious body sagged against her. People in the crowd gasped, shouting for someone to call an ambulance. A few people rushed forward to help, but Evelyn clung to Harvey desperately, nearly pulling him to the ground.
I stepped forward instinctively, reaching a hand out toward Harvey, but Lucia spun toward me, her face a mask of fury.
"Don't you dare act like you care now!" she hissed, shoving me roughly aside. Her eyes, dark with disdain, burned into mine.
The wail of sirens cut through the tension as an ambulance screeched to a stop. Paramedics poured out, expertly navigating the chaos as they reached for Harvey and loaded him onto the stretcher.
I took a step to follow them into the ambulance, but Evelyn turned sharply, her tear-streaked face blazing with hatred.
"Stay away from him!" she snapped, her voice shaking. Lucia blocked my path as well, stepping between me and the open ambulance doors.
