Substitute Marriage With the Illegitimate Son novel Chapter 386

Ethan immediately closed the door. He ran into the bathroom to wet the towels, which he then draped over Janet and himself.

"What would cause this fire? There's no one else on our floor, and I'm pretty sure the 21st floor is empty as well..." Janet coughed, her eyes tearing up from all the heavy smoke. She couldn't fathom why this was happening.

Their apartment was on the top floor, and no one else lived beside or below their unit.

The fire had escalated at this point, and a dark cloud of smoke spread through the corridor, turning the place into a hot oven.

"Shh, it's okay," Ethan comforted her. "Someone must have called 911; the firefighters should be on their way. They'll be here soon." His face was glistening with sweat, with drops trickling from his chin. "I'll go and check how bad it is out there. Let me see if we have a way to escape on our own. Stay here and watch yourself, okay? Make sure you don't get burned."

"Ethan!" Janet grabbed his arm in a vise-like grip. "Be careful."

He hiked up her towel over her head and said, "I will. Don't worry."

With that, Ethan pulled the door open and disappeared into the dark.

As the fire had come from the floor below, the stairs were naturally out of the question. They couldn't take the elevator, either.

Judging by how fiercely the fire raged, Ethan figured that this was no accident. Moreover, their neighborhood had always been commended by the community for its fire safety measures. This disaster was definitely intentional. He was sure of it.

Meanwhile, Janet had been staring at the clock on the wall since Ethan left. It had been almost ten minutes, and he still hadn't returned.

Feeling restless and panicked, she opened the door and screamed into the burning hallway. "Ethan!"

A tall figure soon emerged from the thick smoke and pushed her back inside their apartment.

"I told you to stay put, didn't I?" Ethan rasped. "Save your energy. We're going to have to make a run for it."