Evan had just returned from a two-day business trip.  

The train sped through the night, its rhythm almost hypnotic. He leaned against the seat, a pile of unfinished reports and scattered thoughts crowding his mind.  

The carriage hummed softly with distant conversations, yet he couldn’t relax.  

When the train finally stopped, he stepped out into the city’s noise, exhaustion clinging to his shoulders.  

He waved for a cab.  

“Downtown. Cross of Main and Central,” he said.  

As the taxi rolled away from the station, the evening lights flickered on one by one.  

Evan pressed his fingers to his temples, head heavy and fogged.  

Halfway through the ride, several fire trucks roared past, sirens slicing through the air.  

He glanced up, startled, then muttered to himself,  

“Another fire somewhere.”  

He turned back to the window, watching colors blur past.  

But as the car rounded a corner, his heart stopped cold.  

Dark smoke rose from a familiar building ahead.  

The Cloud Lounge.  

Sienna’s workplace.  

“Stop the car!”  

His voice broke, urgent and raw.  

The driver slammed on the brakes. “What’s going on?”  

Evan didn’t answer. He threw a few bills onto the seat and ran toward the crowd.  

Smoke rolled into the sky. Firelight shimmered red against the glass.  

Firefighters had already cordoned off the street, pushing people back from the danger zone.  

“Sir, please step back!” someone shouted.  

He froze at the barrier, helpless, staring through the chaos.  

Flames flickered behind the smoke. The sirens, the shouting—everything blurred into one unbearable noise.  

Evan’s pulse pounded in his throat.  

Was she still inside?  

Did she make it out?  

Was she hurt?  

The questions tore through him, over and over. He wanted to rush in, to do something—anything—but the yellow tape held him like a wall.  

All he could do was stand there, breathing smoke and fear.  

Minutes passed. Sweat gathered in his palms despite the cold.  

Then a ripple of movement went through the crowd. Firefighters were leading several people out