Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 1111

Agnes was wracked with guilt: "She just woke up craving a bacon cheeseburger from Joe's Diner. I dashed out to grab one, but three minutes in, something felt off. When I got back, Phenix was gone."

Kearney's pupils shrank in shock. His voice was almost a roar as he scolded her, "Didn't I tell you to never let her out of your sight? If anything happens to Phenix, you're the one I'll hold responsible."

It was the first time the usually calm and collected Kearney had lost his temper like this. But Agnes knew she deserved it. At the moment, though, she couldn't focus on that.

Elton had arrived too. He seemed to know what had happened. "We can't waste time pointing fingers. A nurse saw Phenix heading toward the emergency exit. She's been suicidal, likely heading for the hospital roof. We need to get there, now," he said urgently.

Without a word, Kearney bolted towards the roof. Agnes, however, remained frozen in place.

Elton reassured her, "Don't beat yourself up. Kearney's overreacting. This isn't on you."

But Agnes wasn't dwelling on Kearney's words. Her mind was surprisingly clear. "Go help Kearney on the roof. I'll be right there," Agnes told Elton before turning and heading not toward the roof, but toward the inpatient ward.

Elton, without another thought, rushed to the roof.

Kearney reached the rooftop in a frenzy. He wasn't wearing shoes. Somewhere along the way, he must have stepped on broken glass; his feet were cut, leaving a trail of blood with every step. But Kearney was beyond feeling pain; he might not even have been aware he was injured. He had sprinted the entire way up.

And there was Phenix, inching closer to the edge of the roof. She'd refused to change out of her clothes for days, still wearing that bright red wedding dress, now stained with blood and tattered. Phenix stood at the brink, the rooftop wind whipping her dress into a wild dance. The fiery red, smeared with blood, painted a picture of tragic beauty.

Without hesitation, Phenix slowly spread her arms wide. "Phenix!!" Kearney shouted from behind her. She turned around. Kearney was less than ten feet away.

"Stop," Phenix commanded.

Kearney froze in place. Because Phenix took a step back, her toes now hovering over the void. A mere misstep could send her plummeting from this skyscraper, to a certain death.

Kearney had never known such fear. Throughout the years, facing the barrel of a gun or the edge of a knife, he had always remained stoic. But now, his face was as pale as death. Phenix was the irreplaceable burst of color in his otherwise bleak life. If she jumped, he knew he'd follow without a second thought. Losing Phenix would render his years of plans and schemes utterly meaningless.

"Phenix, I won't come any closer, but please don't jump. I have a secret to tell you, about Sean," Kearney said, desperate to keep her attention. Sean's name was the only thing that could still reach her. Indeed, a flicker of interest appeared in Phenix's eyes.

"Sean's secret? What secret?" she murmured, giving Kearney a chance to inch closer.