All Chapters of UNTIL THE FIRE FADES: Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

Max and Dinny enjoyed their visit to his home. However, things now seemed awkward between him and his parents. Whenever he tried to engage in a conversation between him and his grandparents, his uncle's words kept playing over and over. The memories from his childhood and how he had treated him back then also replayed in his mind. His parents tried by all means to hide the sudden tension from Dinny but she noticed something was off. In the evening, Max and Dinny returned to their respective homes. On the way, Max pretended that everything was okay but the weight of his uncle's words was too heavy for him to carry. He looked over to Dinny ,wanting to load off the news to her. Out of nowhere, he felt chest pains. He began breathing heavily. It was the first time he experienced this so he decided to park on the roadside just to recover. He noticed Dinny slept peacefully so he didn't want to disturb her. He looked on the passenger seat behind him and reached out for his jacket. He ge

It had now been days after Lebo's hospital discharge.He had hoped his fiancé would have checked on him a couple of times but she hadn't. It was clear to him that he didn't exist in her world. She only checked on him through messages claiming to be fully booked by her online students. He knew he had to dig deeper into what could be the cause of her avoiding him this much. He thought about the last time he saw her dancing on a video with another man. Could that man be the one keeping her busy? Since he wasn't a saint, he knew that he could have pushed Dinny away. It was time he claimed back the title of being Dinny's main man. Over the years, he had remained confident that no man was a match when it came to having Dinny's heart. This time he had been so caught up in his own world that he hadn't minded what happened between him and her. He thought giving her his name was the best thing he did for her. He opened his phone to watch that video and he saw the guy was familiar. It was like

Weeks after Max's visit to his home, he hadn't been in contact with his parents. They hadn't checked on him as well. He could tell through actions that his parents had known about his biological parents' whereabouts all along. The way they acted after he met with his uncle meant something. He felt betrayed by his own parents. He wondered what it was that had really happened that drove his mother's questionable actions.He attempted to call his mother again. If she showed no interest in him then he would let her be. This time, his mother answered politely. She acted differently from the last time they had spoken. She even claimed not to recall ever communicating with him through a phone call. She volunteered to pay Max a visit the very same day just to catch up. Max agreed but she asked for her permission to let his driver pick her from her home. She promised to send him her address through whatsapp and she did.Max thought deeper about what could be the problem with his mother. Her d

Dinny froze when she received Max's lunch-date invitation. She was irritated. Her eyes lingered on the screen as she repeatedly read Max's message. The audacity. " So that's how little he thinks of me? I 'll teach him a lesson he won't forget," she whispered as her annoyance sharpened. Meanwhile, Max was running around town. He paced from one jewelry store to another in search of the perfect engagement ring. Everytime his phone buzzed with a notification, he hoped it was Dinny accepting his invitation. At last, he found it - the exact style of ring Dinny was hinted she adored. Excited, he rushed home to show his mother. Together, they sat down and planned the perfect proposal. Max was certain nothing could stop him now. Across town, Dinny was plotting her own revenge. Max's recent behavior kept replaying in her mind. Each memory fuelled her frustration. Then it hit her, she would accept his invitation but she wasn't going to show up. A satisfied smile carved on her lips as she i