Chapter 22: The Fire
542words
Jack nodded. "I'll wait in my office."
Zoe headed for the elevators, unaware that this routine errand would alter everything.
In the elevator, Zoe detected an acrid smell but dismissed it. By the time she collected the files and tried to exit the archive room, thick smoke had filled the corridor.
Disoriented by the blinding smoke, she groped desperately for an exit.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Fire!" she called out, but heard only the ominous crackle of flames. The smoke thickened, sending her into a violent coughing fit.
She somehow stumbled into the main hallway, only to find it already engulfed in flames.
As darkness began closing in, she heard someone charging through the inferno: "Rachel!"
In his panic, Jack had called her real name—not Zoe Taylor, but Rachel Williams.
"Here!" she croaked weakly.
Jack plunged through the flames toward her voice. As he pulled her toward safety, a burning beam crashed down from above. Jack shoved her clear, but took the full impact himself.
"Jack!" Zoe screamed, diving back into the inferno. With strength born of desperation, she somehow dragged his unconscious form to safety.
Firefighters found them collapsed near the exit. Jack had sustained severe burns across his back and was rushed to intensive care.
At the hospital, Zoe refused to leave Jack's bedside. She helped change his dressings, moistened his parched lips, barely sleeping for days.
While Jack remained sedated, Zoe encountered his executive assistant in the hallway.
"How is he?" the assistant asked anxiously.
"They're keeping him sedated for now," Zoe replied, exhaustion evident in her voice. "I don't understand why he'd take such a terrible risk..."
The assistant hesitated before speaking. "Did you know Mr. Thompson has severe PTSD related to fire?"
"What?" Zoe stared at her in disbelief.
"Fifteen years ago, his parents died in that fire Michael orchestrated," the assistant explained quietly. "Jack was trapped in the burning house, forced to watch his parents die while he couldn't reach them. Since then, he's been terrified of fire—won't even light a match."
Zoe's hand flew to her mouth. "Yet he ran straight into the flames for me..."
"That's exactly my point," the assistant said meaningfully. "He knew exactly what he was facing, but didn't hesitate for a second. Ms. Taylor, you mean more to him than you realize."
Zoe turned to look at Jack's bandaged form through the window, tears streaming silently down her face. The supposedly cold, calculating businessman had conquered his greatest terror for her sake.
When Jack finally regained consciousness, Zoe was there.
"Why would you risk your life like that?" she demanded, her voice thick with emotion. "If something happened to you, everything we've worked for would be lost."
Jack managed a pained smile. "Some things matter more than revenge."
Tears welled in Zoe's eyes as she took his hand in both of hers.
While gathering Jack's personal items, Zoe discovered a small velvet box hidden in his nightstand. Inside was her original diamond necklace—not the duplicate Michael had given her, but her actual necklace, meticulously repaired.
"How did you get this?" she asked when Jack was lucid enough to talk.
