ra was crouched on the floor, gathering scattered things, when she spoke up,


    her tone steady. "You could give him the world and he still wouldn''t be happy. But with me? Even if I treat him badly, he smiles. That''s what love is-someone giving, someone willing to take it. I thought you''d figured that out by now."


    Tara''s tears fell silently, one after another.


    The olddy watched her, heart aching. Tara should''ve been radiant, but because of something she herself had said years ago, Tara had grown stubborn and closed off.


    "Tara, listen to me," the olddy said softly. "Take those shares. Go abroad. Start fresh wherever you want. You still have a chance at happiness."


    But before she could finish, mes erupted outside the door, thick with the stench of gasoline and turpentine.


    ra jumped up and tried the door, only to find it locked tight from the outside.


    She turned to Tara in disbelief. "Is this what you want? To go down together?"


    Tara''s face went pale. She rushed at the door, rattling the handle, but it wouldn''t budge.


    She shoved ra aside, her face twisted with rage. "This is all you, isn''t it? You want me dead so you and Dn can be together, no guilt at all! And the olddy too-get rid of us both, and no one stands in your way!"


    Her eyes were wild and red, but there was no time to argue. The air was thick with toxic smoke.


    ra covered her nose, ignoring Tara''s usations, and hurried to the olddy. "Hold this over your face," she said, tearing a strip from her shirt and handing it over. "Don''t breathe too deep. The air''s bad."


    The fire spread fast; the ceiling was already burning. Outside, monks in brown robes-volunteers-tried to douse the mes, but their buckets of water weren''t nearly enough.


    Tara started shouting, pounding on the walls. "Help! Is anyone out there? Help us!"


    The olddy buckled, legs giving out as the smoke thickened. ra caught her, steadying her as best she could. "Breathe slow," she urged, pressing the cloth over the olddy''s nose and mouth.


    Through watering eyes, the olddy looked at ra, struck by how calm she remained. Maybe Dn was right about her...


    Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Tara, still by the door, saw someone smash open a window from the outside. She bolted for the opening.


    But escaping wasn''t enough for her. She grabbed a burning curtain and hurled it back toward ra and the olddy, rage twisting her features. Let them burn— then she could tell Dn it was ra who set the fire.


    Her mind spun with hatred. It had to be ra behind all this-she wanted Tara dead, out of the way, so she could have Dn all to herself.


    Outside, Tara threw more mmable junk back through the window, trying to block the only exit.


    ra, holding on to the olddy, tried to get them both to the opening, but a wall of fire shot up, forcing her to crouch low.


    The mes grew fiercer. The olddy, exhausted, sank to the floor. "We have to go now," ra said urgently.


    The olddy was barely conscious, eyes streaming from the smoke. She loosened her grip on ra''s hand. "Go. Leave me."


    "No way." ra hauled her up again. "We''re doing this together."


    The olddy shook her head, voice weak. "It doesn''t matter. I know who set the


    fire. After all these years, nothing changes. My whole life, I tried to warm his heart, but it was always cold."


    ra tried to grab her again, but saw mes licking at the olddy''s skirt. Quickly, she pped them out.


    Summoning strength from


    somewhere deep, the olddy clutched ra''s hand tight. "You swore to Buddha, remember? This is all I ask. I know I was never your favorite, but for Dn''s sake promise me you''ll be good to him."


    ra''s heart twisted. “I promise. But I''m not leaving you here."


    The olddy shook her head, voice fading. "I''ve lived long enough. Go. If you die, Dn will never recover. I thought understood him, but


    truly get it now. We both k


    crashing into the same wall. Maybe he''ll have better luck than me. Please, go."


    She pushed ra''s hand away, mes catching ra''s fingertips. Instinct took over-ra tried to help again, but a burning beam crashed down, almost hitting the olddy.


    Eyes squeezed shut, the olddy waved her off. "Go..." ra clenched her jaw and kicked aside a ming beam. The olddy looked up, startled by her strength.


    Without a second thought, ra bent down and lifted the olddy in her arms. The smoke was so thick she could barely see, but she aimed for the gap Tara had escaped through, kicking another burning post clear.


    With a crash, the debris blocking their path finally gave way.


    The olddy''s heart pounded-ra was so much stronger than she looked.


    Taking a deep breath, ra ran for the opening, carrying the olddy.


    She wasn''t about to let the one person in the Ferguson family who truly cared about Dn die tonight.


    She wouldn''t let him be alone again.