01

"Mrs. Shaw, the office is on fire!" Panic cracked in the secretary's voice. "Mr. Shaw is in his office. I've called several times, but now he's not picking up his phone, and he's not answering the door."

Hadley gasped for air. The glass of wine she had been drinking, fell down and broke on the floor as her eyesight became blurry.

Her and her husband, Andrew Shaw’s two years wedding anniversary is today. Earlier, she helped Andrew secure a contract deal as his company director with Sky Group, one of the biggest companies in the city, and while she waited impatiently for him to return home to tell him the good news about the contract, she had been baking a celebration cake since it was also their two years anniversary today.

"No... no, Andrew will be fine..." Hadley assured herself. She hurried upstairs in a haze even though she is overweight, her mind racing.

With trembling hands, she pulled open the drawer and took out the key card that Andrew had given her only a week prior. He had told her while grinning comfortingly, "Sweetie, the new system needs face recognition, but if you ever need to get in, just use this card,"

Hadley never thought she would need to utilize it in this manner. She was unable to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

After telling the maid to check on the cake baking, Hadley rushed outside, and drove to the office building. Her nerves were being scratched by the sirens of fire engines and ambulances outside, which cut through the air like a dull knife.

She couldn't wait another second as she considered Andrew imprisoned inside that structure. She snuck beneath the police cordon and hurried into the office while no one was looking. The scent of burning things and thick black smoke tore at her throat.

With every step seeming like it required all of her might, Hadley forced herself up the emergency stairs. She was breathing heavily by the time she got to the 29th floor. She reached for the key card with shaky hands, not stopping to regain her breath. Then she heard it from behind the door, faint but distinct. She was frozen in place by intimate sounds.

With her heart racing in her chest, her hand lingered in midair.

Do I hear things? At last, she applied the key card to the lock. The quiet was broken by a mechanical beep. She was the first to hear the sounds as the door hissed open.

"Mmm... Drew, you're so good. Yes fuck!" 

Hadley’s throat constricted. She was frozen in the doorway, unable to take her eyes off Andrew, whose body was bent over another lady, his movements wild and desperate, and his back was slippery with perspiration. The same man who was incapable of being ardent about her. He now moved like a predator freed from its prison, punching her in the stomach with each ragged breath and vicious thrust.

Her access card clattering on the floor was drowned out by the sound of skin smacking on skin. Andrew turned his head.

More agonizing than the actual betrayal, the hunger that was still burning in his eyes consumed Hadley throughout that terrible moment.

Hadley’s heart seemed to halt at that instant. Rushing into a burning building made her feel like such a fool, like a pitiful joke.

"What are you doing here?" Andrew yelled coldly.

She was brought back to reality by Andrew’s icy, irritated voice.

Why had she come here? She had come out of fear for him, fearing that he may perish in this fire. However, the expression in his eyes? That look of contempt and loathing told her everything. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was the unwanted visitor who had broken into a place she wasn't supposed to be in and ruined their relationship.

With a heart that seemed like it was being crushed in her chest, Hadley laughed bitterly. The woman on the couch slowly pushed herself up before she could even attempt to regain her breath.

Hadley’s blood froze when that all too familiar visage turned to face her. The woman was her sister, Laura.

"I apologize, Had,” Laura smiled teasingly and replied, "I won't get up because I'm a little sore. At home, Drew has been reticent. He informed me that he is no longer able to get it up for you. claimed that it's like sleeping with a corpse when he sees you attempting those rigid positions from those films. I mean, with the way you look overweight, I don’t blame him,”

Each word clung to Hadley like thorns, small but painful. She smiled through it, pretending it didn’t hurt, but inside, her confidence chipped away piece by piece.

With a smirk on her lips, Laura shrugged casually. "So I had to... step in. He says he likes me skinny. Maybe try losing weight first. “I’d rather die before looking like you.” 

Laura laughed.

 Hadley didn’t even need to hear her anymore—she turned to Andrew and saw it in his face. The disgust. The mockery.

"Andrew, why? Why did-" Hadley was unable to finish her statement.

She gasped for air. Her head was filled with rage and incredulity. So Andrew had only cheated on her because she was overweight? But he said he liked the way she was. So this was all a lie not to make her suspect he was having an affair with… her sister? 

For how long had this been going on, Hadley wondered. Was this why when her colleagues gossip about her at the office, Andrew pretended not to hear them because he is already with Laura?

Wow! What a big fool she been. 

“God, you're huge,” Andrew muttered, not bothering to hide his displeasure. "Do you ever stop eating? You look horrible."

After two years of marriage, Hadley never once suspected that Andrew was having an affair and even with her sister. She would still be unaware of his duplicity if she hadn't hurried into that fire to save him today.

Hold on, rigid poses? How on earth could Laura be aware of that? A terrible thought struck Hadley, too terrible to ignore, and she froze. So Andrew had shown Laura the intimate pictures he had shot of her at home, two days ago?

 

Hadley felt ill to her stomach at the prospect. Her trust and vulnerability, all those private moments she'd shared with Andrew, became something he could make fun of with Laura.

They had been mocking her behind her back the entire time, calling her stupid and pitiful. This time, the nausea was more intense.

"Well, I won't interrupt you two then." Hadley laughed bitterly and hollowly. She turned and slammed the door behind her.

Let these dishonest people burn in this fire. She wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face and put on the smoke mask she had brought for Andrew. She made her way to the emergency exit without hesitation.

The office door sprung open behind her as she had just taken a few steps. Andrew hurried out, followed closely by Laura, both of them appeared unkempt and half-dressed.

"Hadley! Omg, there’s fire here? You didn't say anything about the fire? Are you attempting to murder us? I'll take care of you later,” Andrew yelled icily.

"Go! Move aside!" Andrew and Laura pushed past Hadley, forcing her hard into the wall.

With terrible force, Hadley’s  back crashed into the wall's corner. She lost control of the smoke mask she was clutching and toppled over as a searing agony surged through her shoulder blade. There was a loud clatter as it hit the floor.

"Drew, look! She wears smoke masks! Two of them." Laura let out a high-pitched, excited scream.

Panic took hold of Hadley, causing her heart to skip a beat and her breath to catch in her chest. She raised her head in time to look Andrew in the eyes.

Something icy and brutal briefly flashed in his eyes. Then he started walking quickly and determinedly in her direction. He moved like a predator, getting closer to its victim, poised to attack and tear her to pieces. A sly grin appeared on his face.

“You came here to save me, didn't you, Hadley? So give that mask to me.” Andrew yelled icily.

"No..." Hadley said in a trembling whisper. She made an unsuccessful attempt to defend herself. Their strengths were not in competition with one another.

Andrew easily removed the smoke mask from her by ripping it off her head with a single, powerful motion. "We appreciate your assistance, Had.”

Laura picked up the mask off the ground and put it on. She and Andrew quickly pushed open the emergency exit door and fled, leaving Hadley in their wake.

Hadley caught a glimpse of Laura turning to smile triumphantly and mockingly at her through the swirling flames.

Hadley was overcome by a crushing sense of despair at that same moment. One was the girl she considered sister after being adopted by her family, and the other was the man she had given everything to and loved for four years. She was unable to comprehend why they were treating her in this manner and why their cruelty was necessary. 

Was it because of her weight? 

The heat dried her tears before they could fall as the fire raged on. Her lungs were filled with thick smoke, stifling and choking her until she could no longer breathe.

The world faded into a haze as Hadley’s vision became blurry. Darkness seeped in, engulfing everything in its path and pulling her farther into the emptiness. At last, all went dark. She lost consciousness.

……

Hadley was in shock that she was still alive. She lay there staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an age until everything came back into focus.

The ER smelled like blood mixed with disinfectant.

"Good thing they put out the fire when they did," the doctor said in a relieved tone as he examined her. “To save you from the verge, we worked on you for thirty minutes. Although your arm is severely burned, it will eventually recover.”

“Thank you for saving my life, Doc.” Hadley’s eyes filled with tears that trickled down her cheeks.

The doctor nodded, but there was a look in his eyes that suggested he wanted to say more but wasn't sure how. He was her and Andrew's doctor for years now.

"We called your husband several times, but he wasn't picking up. Doesn’t he know you’re here?” 

Hadley’s eyes briefly flashed with something sinister before she fell silent. Her thoughts returned to that nightmare amid the burning structure. Her husband, the man she had risked her life to save, had taken the smoke mask from her and escaped with his lover, leaving her to burn.

The doctor stopped pushing after noticing the shift in her expression. "Mrs. Shaw, you must remain here for a few days." He sighed softly and turned to leave.

 

In an attempt to relax, Hadley closed her eyes and nodded, this was the last straw for her.

What's the point of staying in this mess of a marriage?

As soon as she gets out of here, she’s asking for a divorce. She wouldn’t ask Andrew why he didn’t save her because the reason was very clear to her.

He loves her sister right? Then she’ll grant them their wish to be together.

Two years of marriage means nothing to a man who has stopped loving you. His heart won’t bleed for you, won’t bend for you, won’t keep a place for you—no matter how deeply you once belonged.”