doesn’t realize how soon he’ll act on that promise. Late one night, Claire wakes to the sharp scent of smoke — Mike’s house is on fire. She rushes out with a garden hose, yelling for help. But then someone shouts: “Your son just ran inside!” Frozen in terror, Claire can’t get through the smoke. Moments later, Liam stumbles out, coughing and carrying Max — Mike’s golden retriever. “You could’ve died!” Claire sobs. “Max was my friend,”
Liam rasps. “No one else was going in.” Later, Liam reveals he’d been awake when the fire started and saw Mike and his drunk friends leave. When he noticed flames, he rushed out — and learned Max was left behind. Without hesitation, he ran into the burning house. The next morning, Mike shows up on Claire’s doorstep, shaken. He admits the fire was his fault — he left the grill on. Humbled,
he offers Max to Liam, recognizing the boy’s bravery and realizing it’s time to make changes. He’s going to rehab and leaving town for a while. As Max bounds into the house and into Liam’s arms, Claire sees the laughter return to her son’s face — something she hasn’t seen since her husband died. Watching them play in the yard later, she whispers to the quiet air beside her, “You’d be so proud of him.”
