All Chapters of I Left Them in the Fire: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 The Wife Who Buried the Truth

The room key lingered in the air between us. It seemed to be suspended by hesitation while Madison kept her hands stubbornly at her sides. My wrist started to ache, so I reminded her again, "Ms. Anderson, your room key." "I'll take it." A clear, calm voice came from behind her, breaking the silence. It was her legally married husband, Gerald Henson. My eyes traced the wedding band on his finger before colliding with a gaze I knew too well, the same eyes that had haunted my darkest nightmares. "I told you to wait on the couch," Madison murmured. "You never listen. You made me worry." She immediately gathered his things and melted into his embrace. Her voice turned gentle, softer than I had ever heard it. "Good. Your fever has gone down. Are you feeling tired? Take Noah upstairs first; I'll go get you something to eat." Gerald nodded gently. When his eyes passed over me, there was a quiet, measuring look in them. "Okay. I'll wait for you." I tore my gaze from them jus

Chapter 2 The Wife Who Mistook Debt for Love

The year Madison took the high school entrance exam, she scored first in the entire city and was accepted into the best private school in Havenport. She never enrolled. She couldn't afford the tuition. I begged my father to sponsor her education, and he did, all the way until she started working part-time in college. During her senior-year internship, the same rich kids who had bullied her in middle school kept making trouble for her. My father made an exception and brought her into our family company, teaching her everything himself. Madison had a gift for business. The financial reports that gave everyone else headaches made sense to her at first glance. I used to sit beside her with my chin in my hand, watching the serious curve of her profile. To me, she was the most amazing person in the world. My father saw through me. Even though he knew Madison only felt gratitude toward me, he still helped her start her own company after graduation. Madison carved out her o

Chapter 3 The Birthday She Betrayed Me

I nodded. That single gesture said it all. Ana hesitated for a long time before finally asking in a soft voice, her eyes full of unmistakable sympathy. "Then... those rumors... Travis, how much was it true?" I froze. Somehow, that simple concern made my nose sting. The feeling passed just as quickly. I forced a smile. The truth was, Madison and I did have a handful of genuinely happy years together. She proposed to me the day my parents died. She had a lawyer draw up the paperwork and transferred all her company shares to me for free. Then she got down on one knee and swore she would give me a new family, take care of me for the rest of my life, and that I needed to stop crying because seeing me in pain was breaking her heart. I cried until I passed out. Madison handled both of my parents' funerals herself. We got married when I was finally of sound mind. There was no wedding. Our rings were nothing more than the plain matching bands we'd worn in college.

Chapter 4 The Daughter She Never Knew

Madison took me to the hospital and stayed by my bedside. She looked exactly like the woman I used to know—deeply worried, devoted, apologizing over and over. "Travis, I'm sorry. I was wrong. I promise I'll never hurt you like this again." I slapped her. I hit her, yelled at her, called her every nasty name I could think of, and wished her dead. Madison took it all in silence, her eyes red as she tried to calm me. "Don't get worked up. Your health comes first." I screamed that Gerald would pay for this. That was the first time Madison ever truly lost her temper with me, and her palm cracked across my face. Her voice turned ice-cold. "Travis, I'll make you wish you were dead if you so much as touch him." Watching her protect the man she cheated with made something poisonous grow inside me. After that day, she never came to see me again. She and Gerald became inseparable. My phone filled with anonymous messages—photos of them in bed and cruel captions from people

Chapter 5 The Woman Who Saved What Was Left of Me

I pulled Lily behind me, my expression turning cold. "She's my daughter. She has nothing to do with you." I glanced upstairs. "Your husband and son are waiting for you. You shouldn't keep them waiting." Madison tried to approach us, but Ana lunged forward like an angry cat, pushing her back. "Are you not hearing him?" Ana hissed, her chin high with disdain. "Travis told you to stay the hell away." She jabbed a finger toward the door. "In fact, we don't want you here. Take your people and get out." And so, it was a furious Ana who grabbed Madison by her sleeve as she dragged the woman toward the exit. Madison stumbled but didn't fight back. Her eyes stayed locked on Lily, burning with something I felt disgusted to name. "Daddy, come on." Lily grabbed my hand, bouncing on her heels. "Ms. Dawson's waiting for us to eat pizza!" She was referring to Claire Dawson, the inn's owner and the woman who had been in love with me for the past five years. Claire was already waiting

Chapter 6 The Peace She Tried to Steal

I crushed the cigarette and cut off her act. "It doesn't matter anymore. My daughter is mine. She has nothing to do with you."My voice stayed flat. "You already have a new family, Ms. Anderson. Please stop disturbing the peaceful life we've built." I gave her one last look and turned to leave. Madison grabbed my wrist as I brushed past her. I reacted on instinct as I violently shook her off. "Don't touch me!" My outburst startled her. She quickly let go, panic filling her eyes as she tried to soothe me. "Travis, I won't touch you. I'm sorry. Please don't go." Her eyes reddened, and she kept apologizing like she didn't know what else to do. I couldn't understand her. I didn't know whether she was sorry for crossing the line just now, or for something else entirely. Claire must have realized I had been gone too long because she came looking for me. Her lips were pressed into a tight line as she checked me from head to toe. Only after making sure I wasn't hurt did sh

Chapter 7 The Mother My Daughter Rejected

My voice shook with rage as I spat, "Madison, what the hell do you want? If you so much as think about hurting my daughter, I swear I'll take you down with me even if it's the last thing I do!" The slap had forced her face to the side. The pink gift box in her hand hit the ground, and the strawberry cake inside splattered across the pavement. She slowly turned back to face me. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her voice cracked. "I just... I just wanted to make things right. I know you don't want to see me. I know you'd never accept my money, so I came here instead." She swallowed hard. "Travis... I just wanted to make things right for you and your daughter." Tears welled in her eyes as she shoved a bank card into my hand. I thought, 'Is she trying to compensate me right now? Where was she when I actually needed money? Where was she when I needed someone to stand beside me? 'Now that I finally have my life back together, she shows up with

Chapter 8 Love That Came Too Late

Madison froze, and no other words escaped her lips. The pain flashed across her face was so raw that it was almost hard to watch. I knew that look of devastation all too well. How could I not when that was exactly how I had looked five years ago? She swallowed hard as she rasped, "You're right... I'm the bad person here. I am." Lily watched her warily, her hand clutching the edge of my shirt. "I've already called Ms. Dawson!" she declared. "She's coming to protect Daddy and me! You'd better go if you know what's good for you!" Claire came rushing over right on cue, panic written all over her face. "Did she hurt you?" The knot in my chest loosened. I reached out and tenderly wiped the sweat from her brow. For the first time, I took her hand first. "We're okay. Let's go." We had barely taken two steps when Madison chased after us again. I spun around, my expression turning cold. "Madison, I haven't forgotten the promise you made to Gerald five years ago." After th

Chapter 9 The Goodbye She Couldn't Escape

"Lily was pushed off the school bus by a boy who doesn't even go here," her teacher said urgently over the phone. "She hit her head. They've already taken her to the hospital." By the time I got there, I was shaking so hard I could barely stand. My face had gone completely pale. Lily sat weakly in her teacher's arms, a bandage across her forehead. The moment she saw me, her lip trembled and she promptly burst into tears. "Daddy... it hurts." My heart felt like someone had crushed it in their fist as my tears spilled down my cheeks. After hearing the teacher out, I learned that Noah, Madison's son, was responsible for my daughter's pain. In that moment, rage swallowed every bit of reason I had left. I stormed to the parking lot and called Madison. She answered immediately. When I demanded reparation, she said she had no idea what had happened. However, she didn't put up a fight when I growled at her to give me Noah's location. I drove there like a man possessed. Gerald

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