Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter 105

Willow watched as the fire followed the trail of fire accelerant and towards the house. Before she could think of anything else, however, the fire disappeared behind the house and an explosion occurred.

The explosion rattled the air, sending shockwaves through Willow's chest, throwing them away with force. The flames roared, and the heat reached even where they fell. Panic set in as they realized they were too late to prevent the disaster.

"Aunt Will!" Alice cried, holding her elbow. It had grazed roughly against the gravel, leaving scratches on her delicate skin.

"Alice!" Willow pulled herself together and shuffled over to her niece. "Are you okay?"

Alice nodded, though the tears in her eyes told her otherwise.

Willow hugged Alice tightly. "I'm so sorry. I had everything mapped out. I don't know where I went wrong." She cried herself, tears streaming down her face. The truth was, she knew exactly where they went wrong. If it weren't for Dan, they would have made it on time and saved everyone inside. But alas, it was too late now. The past was repeating itself, and no matter what she did, there was no retake on this one.

"Aunt Will! Mommy and Daddy," Alice whimpered, her body shaking with sobs. "They were...they were inside."

Willow turned them around, shielding Alice from the heartbreaking sight of the fire devouring everything they held dear.

But that didn't stop her from coming face to face with the one chance that she failed miserably to act upon.

However, before all hopes could have been lost, she watched with great shock when someone rushed out through the fire, coughing and panting and almost falling to her knees.

It was Carmen.

"Oh my god. She did it." How could Willow forget? Carmen and Eric had made it out alive from the fire. It was just Ronin...

"No, no, no, no. I can't let that happen again." Willow knelt in front of Alice, tears glistening in their eyes. "Listen to me very carefully, Alice. Go inside the car and lock it from the inside. No matter what happens, do not open the door for anyone. Do you hear me?"

Alice hiccuped. "But Aunt Will..."

"You trust me, don't you?" Willow asked the little girl.

Alice nodded.

"Then trust me that I'll bring your daddy home. We are still here, aren't we? I can still change the past."

"But it's risky, Aunt Will. Maybe we should try again..."

"No! Remember what your Grandma said. The device is delicate. We can't toy with it too much." She sighed, feeling sick already. "I don't have time to explain, Alice. Just do as I say. Go back to the car. The moment I make sure Ronin is safe, we'll go back to our timeline. This is the only way. Do you hear me?"

Hesitantly, Alice nodded and ran off after only a second of delay.

Willow got up on her feet, took one deep breath, and ran towards the house. She noted that Carmen had made it to a safe distance away from the burning house, the crowd that had managed to gather around helping her away.

Willow's heart raced as she approached the flames. The heat intensified, and the crackling of the fire echoed in her ears. She could feel the urgency, the weight of time bearing down on her. She darted towards the broken exit, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Eric being helped out of the fire by none other than Dan.

Their eyes met, and she froze. "How did you..."

But there was no time for emotions. She had to hurry.

She tried to run past Dan, who seemed to be carrying a half-conscious Eric on his shoulder. He held her arm and dragged her away from the house. Once a safe distance away, he lowered Eric, letting other men help him bring him further away. He turned to face her, his face covered in soot. "Are you crazy?"

But Willow couldn't rest; she squirmed around, trying to break his hold. "Let me go! I need to help Ronin."

"You are crazy, aren't you?" He snapped, almost growling. His dark eyes turned terrifyingly darker. "There's no saving any more than I already have."

Her heart broke, her eyes tearing up. "No. You can't say that. You don't know that."

He shook her by the shoulders as if trying to wake her up to the damn reality. "Trust me, I saw. I tried to get the ropes off him, but the ceiling fell, and I had to jump away. I could only help the two of them."

"No!" She shook her head and ripped her arm off his hold. She hadn't come all the way here only to fail. "I need to save him. I made a promise."

She turned and ran inside the house, ignoring Dan's calls.

Inside the house, the heat was overwhelming, and the crackling of flames filled the air. Smoke billowed, obstructing her view as she stumbled through the chaos. The fire had consumed much of the interior, leaving charred remnants and collapsed structures.

Ronin!" Willow shouted, her voice strained and choked by the thick smoke.

Through the haze, she spotted a faint figure lying on the ground. Her heart skipped a beat. It was Ronin. Ignoring the blistering heat, she rushed to his side, desperate to save her brother.

She knelt beside him and assessed his condition. He was unconscious, his face smeared with soot, and he appeared to be badly injured. But when she felt his pulse, hope glimmered in her panicked heart. He was still alive. Tears burnt her eyes.

"Come on, Ronin. Let's go home!"

Gritting her teeth against the stifling atmosphere, she struggled to lift Ronin. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder, hauling him up with all the strength she could muster. His weight almost brought the two of them face down to the scalding floor, but she pressed on, driven by nothing but the desperate need to save him.

Another column fell behind them, and Willow winced, feeling the burn on her back.

"Almost there, brother." Before they reached the exit, a wooden structure fell, blocking the path. "Shit!" She staggered away, almost falling backward.

But Willow wasn't about to give up, not so fast, not when she had come this far. She cast a quick glance around, spotting a partially shattered window, and made a split-second decision. With a burst of adrenaline, she propelled herself and Ronin towards the opening.

Glass shattered as they crashed through, landing outside in a painful heap. Willow winced, ignoring her own injuries, and focused on Ronin. She felt a mix of relief and anxiety as she checked his pulse again—it was still there.

"Hang in there, brother," she whispered, her voice strained with emotion, as she touched his face. "Help is on the way."

Willow watched as Dan darted towards them, followed by two others. They helped Ronin up and took him away towards the ambulance. Someone might have called in the fire.

To her surprise, Dan looked baffled, but she didn't have time to explain. Before he could say anything, she sprinted off in the opposite direction. Got into the car with Alice and took out the device.

Dan followed them. But by the time he reached the car and tried to see through the window glass, he was shocked to find the car empty.

A/N: Oops! Looks like Willow finally managed to change the past. But do you think there would be consequences for her actions?