All Chapters of I Left Before the Bells Rang: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Tracy Baker, sprawled on the bed, caught sight of me peeking through the curtains.She whispered to the man behind her, "Elias."His voice grew harsh. "Call me Jim."With a smug grin, she turned to me, her lips playfully shaping the name Jim over and over.The wild man on the bed was nothing like the distant, cold man who had rejected me day after day for the past seven years.I clamped my hands over my ears, but the groans from the bed sliced through, stabbing at my heart.All through the night, until the first light of dawn, they did not stop. Only then did the two of them sink into a heavy sleep.I stumbled out of the room, my body numb and frozen.When I got back to the Johnsons', my son was at the breakfast table. He looked up at my haunted face.With a flat voice, he said, "You're always so gloomy. It's irritating. Where were you last night?"He was the spitting image of Jim Johnson."After Dad passed, you should've just stayed put, not gallivanting around, getting sna

The prayer room was a wooden annex of the mansion, and the fire took hold fast.I scrambled to my feet, yanking at the door, but it was locked tight from the outside.Smoke billowed, stinging my eyes shut, and I stumbled back to a corner untouched by flames.Just when I was sure I was a goner, the door burst open, and Tracy and Jim barreled in.I looked at him, begging with my eyes, but when Jim saw me crumpled on the floor, his gaze flickered.The kneeling pad was nearly swallowed by fire, and without a second thought, he turned his back on me. Watching him walk away, my hope shattered.Tracy yelled out, "Elias, save Dorothy!" She stamped her foot, frustration clear, and dove back into the inferno.As she got close, I caught her sneer. Then she slapped herself hard across the face.The sound of the slap rang out, and she hit the floor. I could not believe my eyes.Jim heard the commotion, spun around, scooped up Tracy, and shot me a poisonous look. "If you're so keen on sta

The officer pulled out a video. "The fingerprints on this lighter match yours, and the footage clearly establishes your involvement."Ms. Baker, you need to come with us."Tracy shook her head frantically as she backed away. "No, you've got it all wrong. It wasn't me!"The police did not buy her story. They slapped the cuffs on her and led her away without another word.Jim looked as if he was in a daze, muttering under his breath, "Dorothy, did she really leave?"Watching the police escort someone away, he clutched Tracy's hands. "What are they talking about? Did you start the fire?"No way. It has to be Dorothy. She's behind this," he insisted as he climbed the stairs.He stormed up to the third floor, only to find the room bare. In a fit of anger, he confronted a servant. "Where are her clothes?"The servant fumbled for words. "Mrs. donated them. She gave them away for a charity auction."A wedding photo pieced together on the wall showed Jim as the groom, but Tracy had rep

Ever since I got back to the capital, Yves brought me to his sprawling villa.It took a whole month in a coma before I finally opened my eyes. The cuts and bruises on my body had healed, but the ache in my heart lingered. I spent my days in bed, silent, not wanting to talk.Yves, ever the silent guardian, quietly ordered the doctor to give me my nutrient shots at night.When I finally managed to stand on my own, he made it his mission to watch me eat every single day. He never asked what happened. He simply used that calm voice of his and peered at me with those piercing eyes. "Time to eat."He had been like that ever since I was little. In a fit of pique, I shoved the whole plate of noodles down and stormed off to my room, only to hear his chuckle behind me. It struck me then—it had been seven years since I had last acted out like that.The teasing did not start until his friends showed up at the villa, ribbing him. "Is the head of the Stewart family keeping a secret beauty here

The next time I ran into Jim, I was in the middle of a showdown with Yves in the office over a project.Yves's secretary popped her head in. "Mr. Stewart, there's a Mr. Johnson downstairs asking for you, Ms. Smith."I did not even look up. "I've never heard of him. Show him the door."It was not until I strutted out of Yves's office, basking in my coworkers' praise, that I finally thought about it."I used to think Ms. Smith got her job through Mr. Stewart's favoritism, but she's actually got game.""I thought Ms. Smith was Yves's pet canary," someone muttered, covering his mouth and looking sheepish.I was about to head home, riding that high, when a man hobbling on one leg grabbed me downstairs.Clutching a four-leaf clover necklace, shaking, with a child by his side, he said, "Dorothy, I came for you. Will you come home?"He held up the necklace, his eyes full of pleading."Alan misses you too. Can't we just be a family again?""Mom, Mom, please come back with us, Mom."S