Liam dropped Ivy at her house, then returned shortly afterward to bring her car before leaving again.
When Ivy entered her home, it was already past 11 p.m. She had called her mother earlier, telling her not to wait up, so Serena was already asleep by the time Ivy walked in.
She quietly made her way to her room, took a quick bath, and went to bed.
---
Later that night, around 2 a.m…
Ivy stirred in her sleep, feeling unusually hot. Her eyes snapped open, and to her horror, she realized her room was on fire.
Fire. How?! And Mom—oh no.
"Mom! Mom, are you there?!" she screamed in terror.
Her eyes widened as she scrambled out of bed. The door was already engulfed in flames.
What do I do? Then she saw the window. Right—the window!
She rushed over and looked down. Thankfully, the height wasn't too bad. Taking a deep breath, she jumped out the window.
As she landed, she heard her neighbors shouting and screaming outside. The front door was locked, but Ivy didn't stop to process anything—she had to save her mother.
She ran around to the other side of the house, where her mother's room was. The fire was spreading fast.
"MOM!" she yelled again, but there was no response.
Desperate, she scanned the ground and spotted a shovel leaning against the wall. Grabbing it, she smashed it against the window. It took a few tries, but the glass finally shattered.
Ivy opened the window and saw her mother lying unconscious on the floor. Her eyes widened.
"Mom… hang in there!"
She climbed through the window and ran to her mother. Shaking her gently, Serena groaned and coughed.
"I… Ivy…"
"Mom, don't talk. Just come with me. We're getting out of here."
Ivy pulled her mother up and supported her with all her strength as they made their way to the window.
"Mom, can you climb out and jump? It's not too high, it's the ground floor."
Serena nodded weakly and climbed out, landing safely. Ivy followed right after.
The fire continued to grow, but someone had already called emergency services. Within minutes, firefighters arrived and began putting out the flames.
---
"Ivy! What happened? How did this fire start?" asked Mrs. Zu, a concerned neighbor.
"Serena, are you alright?" another neighbor, Mrs. Bin, chimed in as people began to gather around them.
Ivy checked her jaw, still in shock. She didn't know how it had all happened.
"Thank you all for your concern, but I don't know how it started. I need to take my mom to the hospital—please excuse us," Ivy said calmly.
"Oh my, yes, of course. Do you need a ride, Ivy?" offered Mrs. Zu.
Ivy shook her head. "Thank you, Mrs. Zu, but we'll take a cab."
"Alright then. But if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," said Mrs. Zu, and others nodded in agreement.
As Ivy and Serena began walking away, Mrs. Zu called out again.
"Ivy!"
Ivy and her mother turned around. "Yes, Mrs. Zu?"
"Your house is mostly burned down... Where are you going to stay now?"
Ivy and Serena exchanged a glance. They hadn't thought that far yet.
"We have relatives in the city, Mrs. Zu," Ivy replied quickly. "We'll stay with them until our house is renovated. Thank you for worrying."
Mrs. Zu nodded. "Alright, take care."
---
At Augustus Hospital…
Ivy's friend Ziudith worked at the hospital and happened to be on the night shift. Ivy brought her mother there for a checkup.
"Aunty!" Ziudith gasped when she saw Serena's slightly burned hands.
"Ivy, what happened? Oh my God—first, please come sit!" She guided them to a couch.
Ivy and Serena sat down.
"Ziudith… our house caught on fire. We barely made it out," Ivy explained.
Ziudith's eyes widened in shock. "What?! How?!"
"We don't know how it started," Ivy replied. "But please, can you check on my mom first? She has some burns."
"Oh God, of course! I'm sorry, I should've done that immediately!"
Ziudith rushed to grab her medical kit. She applied ointment and wrapped Serena's burns with care.
"There, all done. Are you feeling okay, Aunty?"
"Thank you, Ziudith. I'm fine—it's not hurting much," Serena said with a tired smile.
Ziudith handed Ivy a small slip. "Here—take this to the pharmacy and get her these medicines."
"Got it. Ziudith, can I borrow your phone, please?"
Ziudith handed it over without hesitation. "Of course! Are you calling Uncle?"
Ivy looked at Serena. "Mom… should I tell Dad? And we also need to figure out where we'll stay. What do you think?"
Serena hesitated, and Ziudith noticed the uncertainty.
"It's okay, Ivy. You two can stay at my place if you need to."
Ivy felt torn, but she knew she had to tell her father. If he found out from someone else, he would be furious.
"I'll call Dad first. We'll decide afterward."
Serena nodded. "Go ahead."
Ivy stepped outside and dialed the number.
"Hello? Who is this?" her father answered.
"Dad, it's me—Ivy."
"Ivy? Is this a new number?"
"No… our house caught on fire tonight. I'm calling from my friend's phone at the hospital."
"WHAT?!" her father roared. "Which hospital?! Tell me right now!"
"It's Augustus Hospital, Dad."
"Stay right there. I'll be there in 15 minutes."
Beep. Beep.
Ivy sighed deeply. She was sure her father wouldn't let them stay anywhere else but the Lannister Estate.