Chapter 44
Emily’s POV
The shock hit me like a wave. For a moment, I couldn’t even process Purple’s words. My house… burned down? Panic surged through me as my mind raced back to that morning, trying to remember if I had left the stove on or if there was any other potential hazard. Was this my fault?
My heart pounded in my chest as the guilt crept in, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. How could I have been so careless?
I stumbled out of Purple’s office, my hands shaking as I fumbled for my car keys. The world around me felt blurred, distant, as if everything had slowed down while my panic sped ahead. Focus, Emily. I had to get home. I had to see it for myself.
As I got into my car, I couldn’t hold back the overwhelming feeling of dread. The drive felt agonizingly long, and every turn I made seemed to bring a new wave of fear crashing over me. My mind kept circling back to Zane’s room, our photos, the little mementos of our lives together. Everything could be gone.
As I sped toward my house, my phone buzzed incessantly. Keith’s name flashed on the screen, followed by Nina’s and then Tyler’s. I ignored them all, unable to find the words to explain what I was rushing toward. No one could calm the storm of emotions inside me. I needed to get to the house, to see the damage for myself.
Chapter 44
When I turned the corner onto my street, the sight ahead of me nearly brought me to my knees. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, and the bright flashes of fire trucks and police cars lit up the road. I slammed on the brakes, the car screeching to a stop as I stared at what had once been my home.
I sat there in shock for what felt like an eternity. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. The house that had been filled with so many memories–the place where Zane had lived with me after Keith and I separated, where we had spent countless nights together–it was all gone. A sob escaped my throat as I realized I hadn’t just lost a home. I had lost everything.
The firefighters were working frantically, their hoses spraying water on what was left of the smoldering ruins. The flames had mostly died down, but the damage was done. Everything was destroyed.
I barely noticed when Keith appeared beside my car, his face etched with concern. “Emily,” he said, his voice strained, “thank God you’re okay. I’ve been calling you. I was worried when I couldn’t reach you.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I just sat there, numb, staring at what used to be my life. Keith’s words barely registered. His voice was just background noise to the devastation in front of me.
Without a word, I opened the car door and climbed back inside, gripping the steering wheel as if it could somehow anchor me. I needed to escape. I couldn’t handle the sight of the ruins any longer. But Keith, persistent as ever, slid into the passenger seat before I could drive away.
Chapter 44
“You shouldn’t be alone right now,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “Let me help you. You can stay with me. I’ll make sure you’re okay.”
“I don’t need your help, Keith,” I snapped, my voice harsher than I intended. I turned to him, my eyes burning with unshed tears. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need you or your charity.”
Keith stared at me, clearly taken aback by my response. “This isn’t about charity, Emily. I just want to help. I can give you a property, a place to stay-”
“I don’t need anything from you,” I interrupted, my voice shaking. “I can buy my own house. I don’t need you swooping in like some savior.”
He blinked, momentarily lost for words. “How did you… how did you get rich? Your father didn’t leave you any money, and you never mentioned anything about investments.”
I sighed, the exhaustion from everything weighing down on me. “You never asked.” I said quietly, glancing out the window. “When I realized our marriage was falling apart, I took the little money I had saved and invested it in a logistics company. It worked out. I kept investing, learning, growing. By the time I made my first million, you had already checked out of our marriage. You didn’t care about what I was doing, so I stopped trying to tell you.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Keith sat there, processing my words, and for the first time in a long time, I saw a flicker of regret cross
his face.
ya
Chapter 44
Before he could say anything, his phone rang. I watched as his expression darkened while he listened. “Yes… we’ll be there soon,” Keith muttered. before ending the call.
“The police want us to come to the station,” he said, glancing over at me.
A sudden wave of realization hit me–Keith had been quietly following my case all along, keeping tabs on the investigation without saying a word. My stomach tightened at the thought. I didn’t need his help, not
now, not ever.
When we arrived at the station, we were immediately led into an office. Vincent, the lead detective on my case, was already there, his expression serious. He wasted no time cutting to the point.
“Emily,” he began, his expression serious, “the fire at your house wasn’t an accident. It was deliberately set.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I felt my knees weaken, and I reached for the edge of the table to steady myself. “Someone tried to kill me, again?” I whispered, my voice trembling.
Vincent nodded, his face grim. “Yes. We believe the fire was set with the intention of taking your life. You were incredibly lucky not to be home at the time.”
The room spun around me, and I had to focus on my breathing to keep from fainting. If it hadn’t been for my meeting with Purple that morning, I would have been in that house. I would have burned alive.
Chapter 44
I glanced at Keith, who stood beside me, his face unreadable. But as he placed a hand on my shoulder, I realized that no matter what had happened between us, he was just as shaken as I was. Someone out there wanted me dead. And they weren’t going to stop until they succeeded.
I had escaped death once again, but the real
mind: How long can I keep running before question lingered in my
it catches up to me?
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