Crack!

The wall made a crumpling sound as it was kicked by his military boot.

It was loud enough that anyone outside would certainly hear it. But Ryan didn’t stop and continued kicking the same spot.

After the wall shuddered several times, the spot he was kicking made a splitting sound and light came through.

The problem was that it wasn’t just light that entered.

“Cough!”

This time it was Ryan, not Eloise, who let out a harsh cough.

Black smoke rushed in as soon as the hole opened.

The hole in the wall seemed to act as a ventilation duct, and smoke continued to quickly enter the space where the two were hiding.

‘We don’t have time.’

From the thick smoke pouring in, he could tell that the fire outside had already spread considerably. At this rate, they would either collapse from smoke inhalation or burn to death. So…

Ryan gripped Eloise’s hand more tightly and pushed against the wall with all his might.

At that moment, with a splintering sound, the wall where the two had been hiding completely collapsed.

“Ugh!”

The two of them tumbled onto the floor.

Normally, coming out from a confined space should have made breathing easier, but the smoke-filled exterior was certainly no better than the hiding space.

“Eloise, are you alright?”

Ryan quickly got up and helped her to her feet.

Eloise nodded with difficulty as she stood up, but Ryan noticed the black dust on her sleeve along with red bloodstains.

It was clearly what she had coughed up while in the secret space.

Others might have backed away at the sight of those bloodstains, just as Sinclair’s butler had done.

But Ryan didn’t back away. Instead, he cupped Eloise’s face with both hands and said:

“It’s completely fine.”

Even as he spoke, he continuously wiped away the dust and cobwebs from her face with his hands, urgently, as if she couldn’t possibly endure this situation.

“Quickly, we need to escape…”

“It’s fine, really fine.”

Having confirmed that Eloise was at least able to speak, Ryan kissed her dirty forehead once and then took her hand to lead her.

He immediately went out to the corridor to find the stairs leading down.

The fire seemed to have started on the first floor, as heat and smoke were pushing up through the stairway.

Should they jump out the window?

After briefly considering it, Ryan had to abandon the idea.

It wouldn’t matter if he broke a bone or two, but Eloise was different. Ryan took off his outer coat and gave it to Eloise.

“Cover your nose and mouth.”

Eloise didn’t ask what he would do. She simply accepted it quickly and gave him a look that said they should hurry downstairs.

Ryan firmly grasped her hand again, somehow feeling pleased that her strong personality remained intact even in this situation.

The heat of the flames rising from below instantly dispelled the winter chill. A hot breeze, warmer than a sauna, formed beads of sweat on their foreheads.

As the two waited for an opportunity to go downstairs…

Crash!

A corner of the mansion, unable to withstand the impact and heat, collapsed with a rumble.

‘Now!’

The surging heat momentarily receded with the rush of cold air that came in as the building collapsed. Ryan didn’t miss that moment.

“Run!”

Ryan took Eloise’s hand and quickly descended the stairs. Eloise also grabbed her skirt and ran with him.

Fortunately, they made it halfway down safely, but as they turned to continue down…

Eloise raised her arm to shield her face from another wave of heat. This caused her to lose her balance and miss a step on the stairs.

“Eloise!”

Ryan immediately stretched out his arm and embraced her as she was about to fall down the stairs. With a heavy sensation of falling, the two tumbled down the stairs.

At that moment.

The sound of gunfire rang out. And they saw the stairs where they had been standing explode upward.

Even as they fell, Ryan realized that if they hadn’t fallen, the bullet would have precisely targeted their heads.

Having tumbled to the floor with Eloise, Ryan looked at the person standing amidst the flames.

Predictably, it was Sinclair.

“As I thought, you couldn’t find me setting the fire.”

Her voice was so calm, as if standing in the midst of flames was of no consequence.

This allowed Ryan to realize that Sinclair had given up on escaping and was prepared to kill him and Eloise here, even if it meant her own death.

Sinclair’s gun barrel aimed at the two.

“Shall I tell you something?”

Sinclair spoke as the flames made crackling sounds while consuming the mansion’s woodwork.

“I only have one bullet left.”

At her words, both Ryan and Eloise bit their lips as they looked at her.

They couldn’t understand why Sinclair was saying something that was disadvantageous to herself.

Seeing the puzzled pair, Sinclair’s smile deepened.

“So, I’m thinking about which one of you would be better to kill.”

Sinclair glared at the two, grinding her teeth.

“How lucky!”

When she realized there were three bullets left in her pistol, Sinclair thought heaven was still on her side.

One bullet for each person.

Kill Ryan, kill Eloise, and with the last bullet, shoot herself—then everything would end without any pain.

Of course, there had been sacrifices, but if she could kill the renowned Colonel Ryan Wilgrave, this terror attack wouldn’t be a complete failure.

But ridiculously, just as she aimed precisely at their heads, the two disappeared from sight.

By the time she thought she shouldn’t shoot, her finger was already pulling the trigger. And two bullets flew away uselessly.

Then the two tumbled down to her feet.

At first, she had intended to shoot Ryan immediately.

But seeing him embracing Eloise even as they fell made her change her mind.

“Cunning bastard.”

Sinclair glared at him, the man who had staged a fake funeral.

When she first received news of Colonel Wilgrave’s death, Sinclair had briefly doubted whether he was truly dead.

But the subsequent grand-scale funeral and the grief shown by those around him convinced her.

To set this huge trap, he had truly become a dead man for a long time.

Even to his lover.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Ryan grinned at Sinclair as if taunting her.

At his smile, the smile disappeared from Sinclair’s face. She thought for a moment about what would happen when her gun shot him.

Then it would be the day of his real funeral. He would meet his end amidst his lover’s tears.

But even imagining that scene didn’t bring Sinclair joy.

She wanted to inflict greater pain on Ryan Wilgrave. Not the kind that ends with death, but a deep suffering that would make him struggle for the rest of his life.

The kind of pain that would make that confident face contort and regret this day until his dying moment.

Her gun barrel, which had been aimed at Ryan’s head, shifted slightly. There was Eloise, covering her mouth with Ryan’s clothes.

When he realized this, Ryan’s expression hardened. Instead, a satisfied smile returned to Sinclair’s face.

‘This is it.’

Having found the answer, Sinclair’s finger pulled the trigger.