I returned home to silence. Not the peaceful kind. The kind that presses down on your chest and squeezes until you can barely breathe.

My mother stood at the kitchen counter, arms folded like a barricade, lips tight like she'd been holding in a hurricane. The only sound was the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock and the soft whir of the ceiling fan.

She didn't look at me when she spoke.
"You're on administrative leave."

I dropped my bag by the door, still smelling like smoke and adrenaline.
"Word travels fast."

"The Chief called. Said you went rogue. That you endangered yourself. And someone else."

I flinched. "I saved a man's life."

"You broke protocol." She turned now, sharp and exhausted. "And risked everything you've worked for because of that man."

I didn't answer. What could I say? That she was right?

That it wasn't just Rafe I'd fought for—but for the part of me that finally felt alive?

"You're not thinking clearly," she snapped. "This whole firefighting obsession—this rebellion—it's not you. You're not like your father."

And there it was. The ghost we didn't talk about.

My father. Killed on the job when I was twelve. A decorated firefighter. A hero.

A shadow I'd never been allowed to grow out from under.

"I'm not trying to be him," I said softly. "But maybe I'm trying to be someone I can actually respect."

That struck a nerve.

Her jaw clenched. "Is that what this is about? Earning my respect?"

"No," I said, my voice rising despite myself. "It's about not hiding who I am. Not playing it safe. Not standing by while people I care about burn."

"And Rafe? What is he to you?"

I paused.

Everything. Nothing. Too much. Not enough.

"He's not the mistake you think he is."

Her eyes shimmered. "And what if he becomes the fire that burns you down too?"

Then she left the room.

And I was alone again.

I went upstairs, dropped onto my bed, and stared at the ceiling. My phone buzzed beside me. A message from Rafe.

"They're pulling all my files. They think I was helping the arsonist. I'm officially under investigation."
"They're coming after both of us."

I stared at the screen until the words blurred.

We'd survived the fire.

But now came the fallout.