Chapter 78. A Blessing in Disguise

“I can’t lose Jackson, I just can’t…” The thought echoed in her mind like a desperate plea, yet also like a curse. The world around her seemed to collapse, her ears buzzing, with the sounds of shouting and fire engine sirens fading into a distant, blurry noise.

Emma’s heart felt like it was being crushed, each beat painful and chaotic. She felt everything spinning, her vision blurred by tears. She blamed herself, cursing herself for not arriving sooner, for not realizing that Jackson needed her. If she had come sooner, if she hadn’t wasted time, perhaps everything would have been different. She tore herself apart with guilt and sorrow, but nothing could change the reality before her.

The scene around her was chaotic. Firefighters were frantically dragging hoses, spraying water at the fire, but the situation was dire. The flames were too intense, the alcohol in the bar fueling the fire’s ferocity. The water from the hoses wasn’t enough to extinguish the flames, merely coo