Chapter 3

Shawn wanted to fling Susan's hand away, but she was holding onto him far too tightly. Closing the distance between them, she repeated, "Why have you been secretly meeting with my father?"

Shawn didn't reply. Instead, he let out a wry laugh.

How was he supposed to answer her question? Was he supposed to tell her he'd gone to great lengths to get close to Thomas all because he wanted to marry her?

What a laughable thought.

Shawn clenched his fists and didn't respond.

Seeing this, Susan let go of him and softened her voice. "You're still the same as you've always been. Whenever you're angry, you just shut down."

She wrapped her arms around him and gently coaxed, "Don't worry. Our relationship won't change just because I'm marrying another man. Henry doesn't know who you are, though, so you'll have to be more careful around him. Don't let him find out about us."

She spoke in the same gentle voice she always had. Yet this time, it made Shawn feel cold and hollow.

"Susan?" Henry's voice abruptly rang out from behind them.

Susan instantly let go of Shawn and stepped away from him. Then, she walked off as if nothing had happened.

Henry walked in after she left. The moment he saw Shawn, a mocking smile appeared on his face. "Do you enjoy being a homewrecker and seducing someone else's fiancee, Mr. Carter?"

Shawn looked up at him in disbelief.

A hint of contempt appeared on Henry's elegant, refined face. "Did you think I was unaware of your relationship with Susan?"

Shawn felt his blood run cold.

Before this, he had assumed that Henry had been deceived, and that he was completely unaware of his existence. But apparently, Henry had known about everything all along.

Shawn let out a mocking laugh. "Since you're aware of everything, you should know perfectly well who the other man is."

Henry didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"The person who's considered 'the other man' is the one who's not loved by their partner. Susan only got together with you because she was bored. I'm the one she truly loves.

"Because I kept rejecting her, she settled for you and used you as my replacement. To her, you're nothing more than an insignificant plaything. Now that I'm back, you've naturally become the other man in the relationship," Henry declared matter-of-factly.

Shawn had no interest in arguing with such a shameless person. He turned to leave, but Henry grabbed his arm.

"Don't believe me?" Henry asked. "Why don't we conduct a little experiment? Let's see who Susan cares about more—you or me."

As he spoke, he pulled a lighter from his pocket and set the carpet in the hallway on fire.

As the flames spread almost instantly, Shawn stared at him in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

Henry looked at him coldly. "Don't blame me for being ruthless. You've been with Susan for too many years. I need to make sure she no longer has any feelings for you. I will become the Langley family's son-in-law no matter what!"

Without warning, Henry grabbed Shawn and shoved him toward the heart of the fire.

As Shawn crashed onto the ground, he was instantly met with a wave of scorching fire. The next second, Susan came rushing in, dressed in protective gear. She grabbed Shawn by the arm and was just about to pull him to safety when Henry cried out behind them.

"Susan! Help me!"

In an instant, Susan let go of Shawn without any hesitation and ran toward Henry. "Henry's physically frail, while you've always been relatively healthy. I'll get him out of here first."

Ignoring how dangerous it was, she grabbed Henry and dashed toward the exit.

Thick smoke quickly filled the hallway, obscuring Shawn's view. His entire body burned, and it felt as though an enormous weight was pressing down on his chest. He found it impossible to breathe or cry out for help.

…

Shawn didn't know how much time had passed before he woke up on a hospital bed.

"The smoke was so thick that you suffered carbon dioxide poisoning," the doctor told him. "Fortunately, you were sent to the hospital in time. If you'd arrived any later, there would've been nothing we could do."

Susan was sitting beside his bed with dark circles underneath her eyes. Once the doctor left, she asked, "Why did you start the fire?"

Shawn stared at her in shock. "You think I started the fire?"

She shot him a disappointed look. "The investigation results are already in. Someone had started the fire, and you and Henry were the only ones present at the scene.

"Henry told me what happened. He said you threatened him and demanded that he leave me. When he refused, you started the fire. What happened to you, Shawn?" Susan cried, looking deeply disappointed.

Shawn found the entire situation absurd.

"And you believe him?" he asked incredulously.

To his dismay, Susan insisted, "Henry is a kind person. His arm was burned in the fire. But even while he was injured, he was still speaking up for you. He even asked me not to hold you accountable. I'm really disappointed in you, Shawn."

With that, she turned and left.

Shawn lay on the hospital bed, staring blankly at Susan's retreating figure. Then, he let out a bitter laugh.

He should've known.

Even when their lives were on the line, Henry had been the only person Susan cared about. So, why would she ever believe him?

Henry was all she cared about.

Shawn had no one to blame but himself. He had simply fallen in love with the wrong woman.