The Fire Country Season 3 finale ended with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger when the roof of the Buena Vista Memory Care Center caved in with Vince (Billy Burke), Sharon (Dianne Farr), and Walter (Jeff Fahey) still inside the inferno. It was a devasting conclusion to a rollercoaster two-part season-ender that also saw Audrey (Leven Rambin) shoot Finn (Blake Lee) to defend herself and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) from the stalker’s violent outburst.

Audrey was taken away in handcuffs when Manny (Kevin Alejandro), Gabs, and Audrey finally got Finn to paramedics at the Buena Vista scene after they discovered the raging Zable Ridge fire cut off all routes to the hospital. That left Gabriela just enough time to help Jake (Jordan Calloway) stop Bode (Max Thieriot) from running back into the burning building to save his parents right before the roof caved in.

The devastation continued off-camera after the finale aired on Friday night when Deadline reported that Billy Burke was exiting the series, signaling a tragic end for Vince, and that the Season 3 finale was Stephanie Arcila’s last episode as a series regular. That means that Gabriela will likely be leaving Station 42 in the already announced Season 4, even though she was very much alive at the end of the finale. The Fire Country executive producers and CBS would not confirm that Burke is leaving the show, but they did reveal that Gabriela will be taking a break from the station when the new season returns.

TV Guide caught up with Arcila to talk about the heartbreaking finale and what is in store for Gabriela’s future if she is not continuing her career at Station 42.

Fans were shocked to learn that the Season 3 finale was your last episode as a series regular. How do you feel about it now that you’ve had some time to process it?
Stephanie Arcila: It was shocking. But it is always nice to have these breaks. For myself personally, I’m getting to do so many things that I haven’t been able to do for so long because I have the time now. I can take classes. I can audition for different things. I can see my family more. There are so many positives, [but] at the same time, I know there’s a lot of different mourning aspects to it as well. That’s life. That’s the industry that I’ve signed up for.

It’s not clear by the end of the episode that Gabriela is going to be leaving. Do you have any idea what’s going to take her away from Station 42?
Arcila: I have no idea.

What is on your wish list then for what she gets to do in this new era?
Arcila: She’s gone through so much. It’d be nice for her to go to therapy and show the mental health aspect of it. Have her leave and not go just based on her intuition and what she thinks she needs. Give her the proper tools to navigate life and really bloom into her own. Healing is not fun and it’s not easy. That’s why most people don’t do it. Once they do it, it’s beautiful to watch people bloom into their own and break patterns to go on a different journey.

She’s definitely had a rough season. What has this experience with Finn done to the confidence she worked so hard to rebuild after the first half of the season?
Arcila: It’s scary. At the same time, it’s great in that it’s a pattern she’s had of rushing into things. Or a pattern of, “OK, this is a good human, I should be with them.” Just because someone is a good human doesn’t mean you should be in a relationship with them. I think this is going to help her see some red flags, break a pattern, and take things slower. Maybe she won’t be influenced by others’ opinions of what they think of someone and how they think she should be with someone.

How does she feel about Audrey shooting Finn for her, especially considering there might be some real consequences for it?
Arcila: It was self-defense. They were inside the house. I don’t know what’s going to happen and what they are going to write. I know that right now [Gabs and Audrey] are in shock. They are in shock and experiencing trauma. It’s a lot to see someone shot in front of you and to know that your life was possibly about to be done as well. I think that’s going to bring them into a season of gratitude, a season of awakening, and a season of conflict as well.

What do you think was going through Gabs’ mind in the last shot of the episode when that roof came down, knowing who was inside?
Arcila: She has so much love for Bode and for the people that are in there. This is a community that she’s decided to be a part of. She left Olympic diving to immerse herself into this town where they’ve become her family. That’s what she wanted. It’s really heartbreaking and shocking. The aspect of possibly losing someone she loves again, which is kind of a recurring cycle in her life, is really tough.

Speaking of Gabs and Bode, do you think they are endgame or is there still some growing for them to do?
Arcila: They both still have some growing to do, but the writers always surprise me. I think they are going through the growing process. That’s why they’re dating other people. That they’re taking time and space. I think it’s good for them not to rush into things in order to build a foundation. I think they are in a journey of acceptance and something is pulling them apart right now.

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What are you most proud of when it comes to playing Gabs over the past three seasons?
Arcila: I am most proud of being a Latina and being able to represent. And secondly, I’m proud of showing all her flaws. We’re not perfect and I think that’s beautiful. We go through all these waves. We fall. We get back up. A lot of us go through so much personally and we don’t show people. … Being able to show these imperfections and at the same time, being able to show the discipline that Gabriela has. Whatever she puts her mind to, she can get to. She’s so studious and that is a really beautiful strength that she has. She’s such a go-getter.

What do you want most for Gabs during her time away from Station 42?
Arcila: I want her to be in bloom. I want her to be in her light. We’ve seen so much of her falling, so much of her being hurt, so much of her being disappointed. I want her to understand those disappointments with joy and know that they are part of life. I want her to be in her “I don’t give a f—” era. I am who I am, and own it.