Zuko Lightning

Ever since we were kids, I'd always known how to make use of my gentle childhood friend for things like sending him on errands, and borrowing his allowance. He never complained. Just silently indulged me. Things continued the same way until the day we got engaged. That's when everything snapped into place. That was the day we both woke up. I was just a throwaway character in a novel. He was the male lead—fated to fall in love and end up with the novel's heroine. I was stunned. Ready to walk away. But he was furious. Jaw clenched, eyes wild. He grabbed my hand and dragged me straight to City Hall. "Screw the novel. Screw the plot. The only thing I know is that I love you, and I want forever with you." After we got married, he treated me like I was made of glass. Gentle. Meticulous. We worked side by side, building a reputation as a power couple in the business world. The events of the novel faded into the background. I fell deeper in love with him. Three years later, the youngest daughter of a real estate tycoon started her internship at our company. That day, there was a fire in the office. In the chaos, the girl stumbled into a shelving unit. It came crashing down, headed straight for my husband. I didn't hesitate. I threw myself in front of him. Pain exploded in my skull. Blood poured down my face. The girl, in her panic, had fallen to the ground, crying out, "Aaron, help me!" My husband's face went pale. His expression—pure terror—as he ran toward her without a second thought. "Grace!" he cried. Lightning split through me. My face drained of color. The heroine in the novel—her name was Grace.

I fell in love with a man I should never have touched—my brother-in-law, Lucas Zahn. The first time he came to our home with my sister, Quincy, they looked like the perfect couple. He smiled at me, held out a peace talisman bracelet, and said it would keep me safe. I wore it like it was the most precious thing in the world. When the old injury in my ankle flared up, he would scoop me into his arms and rush me to the hospital without a second thought. When thugs tried to harass me, he made them scatter with a single look, then spoke to me in a voice so gentle it made my heart tremble. I told myself I understood—that everything he did was only because I was Quincy’s younger sister. Even so, I clung to those rare moments when I could be near him. Until the night Lucas was drugged by an enemy, his life teetering on the edge. If no one acted, he would die. So, I acted. On that reckless, desperate night, my sister walked in. The sight struck her like a lightning bolt, and she collapsed, her weak heart seizing on the spot. What came next was madness. In a frenzy of rage and panic, Lucas tied me to an operating table. His hands—those hands I once longed to hold—cut open my chest and tore my heart out for her. “When the avalanche hit, Quincy nearly died saving me. I swore I’d treat her well for the rest of my life. That means loving her family, too. I never thought you’d be so shameless. “This is what you owe her!” He never knew that I was the one who saved him in that avalanche. So, I died in agony, my love carved out of me—literally. When my eyes opened again, I found myself back on the night he was drunk.

“Now take your bastard daughter and get out of my sight! If you ever step foot into this mansion again, you will die!” Elsa Boseman’s thunderous voice sounded all over the room. Her lips quivered as the tears streamed down her cheek freely. “No..mother in-law, please! I’m innocent!” She cried from the floor where she was kneeling before Elsa Boseman. “Leave, you slut! Take this bastard and get out of this place!” She heard Mrs Taiwo’s voice and her tears increased. “Guards! Guards! Take her out!” Dotun's provoking voice sounded all over the room. “No..I’m innocent, please don’t throw me out! Mother in-law!” She cried as she rushed over to Elsa Boseman. “No.. mother, I have nowhere to go!” She cried as she knelt before the two women. She was pulled up by the guards along with her daughter who was still crying uncontrollably. As she struggled with the men, she took a glance at Daren who was sitting dejectedly on the long couch with his head bowed. “My love, I'm innocent! Please don’t let them throw me out! Daren!” She shouted with her full strength but he remained silent and didn’t look in her direction. ** The rumbling of thunder could be heard as the rain continued to pour down mercilessly. Her lips continued to quiver and her body trembled as she wrapped her one year old daughter in her bosom. She thought of everything happening in her life at the moment. She had been accused, betrayed and rejected by the family she had worshiped all through the years. She looked at her daughter who was now sleeping peacefully in her arms and she sighed. “I will make them pay,” she said as flashes of lightning appeared in the sky.