Chapter 22

I felt cold. It seemed like the world stopped spinning. My brain couldn't process what he said. I felt stuck in place as if my whole body had turned to cement. Even speaking was a challenge. My heart thudded in my chest, and I struggled to say, "Huh?" I needed clarification because I might have misheard him.

He replied, panting, "Your house is on fire."

The anxiety intensified, and the world truly seemed to stop spinning. Even the people walking in the hallway froze in my vision. Even Bebot, gasping in front of me, stopped moving and breathing and became a statue.

It felt like every living thing had stopped moving at that moment, and the only thing that was vivid was the thundering heartbeat of my heart and the pain that was consuming me.

"Are you kidding me?" I stuttered in response, trying to recover from my shock. I knew he might be offended by my question because it might seem like I didn't trust him.

But can you blame me? I didn't know what to think, and I didn't know what to do,