Chapter 22
The Rescue
Elena’s vision was blurring, the edges of the world fading into a dark, fuzzy gray. Her three remaining fingers were slipping, the blood making the iron railing impossibly slick. She had accepted her death. But suddenly, two massive, warm hands clamped down over her wrists like vices of steel.
"I've got you. Let go of the bar."
Alejandro’s voice was right above her, grounding her to reality.
"I can't," Elena sobbed, her body trembling violently. "My baby..."
"I will not let you fall. I swear it on my life."
With a raw, guttural shout of exertion, Alejandro braced his boots against the concrete ledge and pulled backward. The sheer physical strength required to hoist a pregnant woman over a balcony was immense, but he didn't waver.
The female neighbor, who had been cowering inside, rushed forward to help grab Elena’s coat. Together, they dragged Elena over the rusted railing. She collapsed onto the cold tiles of the balcony, gasping for air, clutching her swollen belly as tears streamed down her dirt-streaked face.
Alejandro knelt beside her, quickly removing his heavy trench coat and wrapping it around her shivering shoulders.
"You are safe now," he whispered, his sharp eyes softening as he looked at her.
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"Rosa," Elena choked out, pointing desperately over the edge. "She fell! She's on the eighth floor!"
Alejandro didn't hesitate. He stood up, surveying the drop, and immediately vaulted over the railing, carefully climbing down the exterior ironwork to save the woman who had sacrificed everything for his unborn son.
