Page 241 of Ruin My Life
Every breath scorches my throat raw. My eyes burn but I push forward.
“Brie! Where are you?!”
Smoke swallows my voice. The walls spit flame. Furniture’s nothing but glowing ruin. Overhead beams moan in protest, ready to bury it all.
“Damon…”
My head snaps to the sound.
There—center of the room. A heavy support beam has collapsed across the carpet. A small, blood-smeared hand curls around the far side.
My chest caves in.
Irun.
I round the beam—
And freeze.
Her whole body is drenched in blood from stomach to throat. It soaks her shirt, mats her hair, pools beneath her on the scorched carpet.
Her leg is pinned under the beam, and I pray that’s the only reason she couldn’t drag herself out.
But when her eyes lock onto mine, shesmiles.
“You… found me…”
I drop to my knees, hands shaking as I brush her hair back from her face. It’s stuck to her skin with blood and sweat. My ribs ache with every heartbeat, like they can’t contain all this relief and horror fighting for space inside me.
“Always,mi rosa,” I rasp, my voice sounding barely human to my own ears.
Her skin is cold.Toocold. My fingers rake the blood from her cheeks, smear it across my palms as I scan her face—desperately looking for any obvious injuries. Bruises bloom purple across her head and neck, stark against the soot and sweat. No deep gashes. No burns.
But all this blood had to come from somewhere—
“Where are you hurt?” I force out, my voice barely holding. “Where’s the blood coming from?”
She’s so pale. Lips edged blue.
She tries to smile again—but it’s fragile, slipping.
“Leg,” she whispers. “And stomach. The rest… is Connor’s.”
The rest of the blood isn’t hers.
Relief slams through me so hard I nearly choke on it.
Thank god. Thank fucking god.
My gaze cuts across the room.
Connor’s body is slumped a few feet away, flames already crawling over his skin, claiming what’s left like the grave never could.
“That’s my girl.” I lean back to her, my voice shaking as I press my lips to her temple. “That’s my fucking girl.”
I force my eyes to the wound in her stomach. The blood is still fresh. Flowing too much and too fast.
If I don’t get her outnow—
