Burning My Love to Ashes

"Hang on, Jeanette! I swear I'll get you out of here!"That familiar voice snapped me back to reality and made me break out in a cold sweat. I opened my eyes just in time to see the burnt wooden door—warped from the flames—crash down, missing my face by inches.Terrified, I pulled my mother-in-law, Phyllis Mason, back into the bedroom."Don't open the windows, Phyllis! That'll just make the fire worse," I said.I quickly scanned the room, grabbed a pillowcase, soaked it with bottled water, and handed it to her so she could cover her mouth and nose.I could hear the sirens getting louder outside.Phyllis' face lit up with relief. "Don't be afraid. Caleb's here with the rescue team. We'll be fine."I looked at her hopeful face, then lowered my gaze, my heart heavy. I had no clue how to tell her that one day, Caleb Holt would end up killing her granddaughter for the woman he truly loved.The fire raged on, and the heat inside was unbearable. The tiles beneath our feet were almost

I woke up and found myself in a ward. The nurse saw I was awake and deliberately threw the medicine bottle into the trash with a loud clink.Her voice was dripping with sarcasm as she said, "You really are a tough one. After all the harm you caused, the only thing you lost was your baby. Guess you're lucky."My throat felt like it was burning, and I couldn't get a word out. All I could do was swallow her insults in silence.Suddenly, the nurse slammed the door open with a loud bang and shouted to the people outside, "The suspect's awake! Get her out of here. We don't want her messing up our hospital. She actually went after a fallen hero's daughter! What a joke! She should've just been left to burn!"Two people at the door grabbed me without saying a word, and before I knew it, I was being taken to see Caleb.There was a table between us. His face was stormy like he was about to snap.He wasted no time laying the blame on me as soon as he spoke. He said, "You're cold-blooded fo

I looked at Caleb's serious face and couldn't help but laugh. He accused me of starting the fire without even asking me a single question, and now, he was all about "protecting" me."I don't need anyone's protection, Caleb. I didn't start the fire, so feel free to investigate all you want," I said, turning to leave.He tightened his grip on my wrist. His eyes were a mix of confusion and exhaustion, like he couldn't figure out if he should cover for me."You're older than Bri, but why are you acting less thoughtful than she is?" he asked.When Brianna heard that, her expression went from pure hatred to something that looked almost sad."If that's what you want, Cay, I'll let it go for your sake. I won't press charges, but I'm honestly worried Jean might pull something crazy again. You promised my parents you'd never let me deal with this…"I stopped and turned to look at them.As soon as Brianna brought up her parents, Caleb's expression shifted in a flash. After a second, it loo

Phyllis was already sitting up in bed. The moment she heard Caleb's words, she kicked him hard in the chest and yelled, "You bastard! How the hell did I end up raising someone so dumb? Are you really this thick? "Jeanette was here with me! When you left with Brianna, and when she said no one else was around, Jeanette was the one who gave me that last bit of water. That's the only reason I'm still breathing!"Caleb's eyes went wide in shock. He dropped to the floor, stunned for a long while.When Phyllis looked up, she spotted me in the doorway and waved me over.A flood of emotions hit me all at once, and I barely managed to choke out, "P-Phyllis…"Tears ran down her face, and as if something snapped inside her, she jumped up and began kicking and hitting Caleb again."What's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you something was off with Brianna? Why the hell do you keep getting wrapped up in her mess and ignoring Jeanette?"Suddenly, Brianna appeared in the middle of the chaos, call