Chapter 2
Burning to death is agony beyond description.[]
I still feel the memory of flames eating through my flesh. And now, I face that same horrific death again.[]
I thought not calling Axel would change things. Instead, that heartless bastard told his coworkers I was taking the entire fire.
Sharp pains stabbed through my belly, as if my unborn child was warning me just how coldhearted this man truly was.[]
Five years. That’s how long I wasted on Axel
We bought this apartment two years ago as our future marital home. Though it was in an older building and not particularly spacious, I didn’t mind.
We were just ordinary working–class people, and owning a home in Metro City’s was already an achievement.
Having lost my parents early in life, my deepest desire was to create a happy family of my own. During our most intimate moments, Axel promised countless times that he would make me happy, and I foolishly believed him.]
Every piece of furniture in our home was carefully selected together. The flowers on the balcony were lovingly tended by: me. I poured my heart into making this place the cozy haven I’d always imagined.]]
But like these suddenly failing electrical wires, my relationship with Axel had already fallen apart.
Hidden beneath every day 1 naively thought was filled with steady love lurked a terrible danger.
I calmly retrieved our precious photo album containing all our pictures from the past five years. Axel once joked that we should preserve it to show our children someday.
Now, in seconds, the album turned to ash in the growing flames.
The fire intensified, flames spreading everywhere, consuming the wooden bedroom door, the bed, and the curtains, all rushing toward me.
My only escape was the window.
I quickly climbed through it.]
Standing on the air conditioning unit, my hands gripping the scorching hot window frame, I knew the danger was far from over.
This was the fifth floor.
While not terribly high, I was heavily pregnant–If I fell, the outcome was uncertain.]
Below, a crowd had gathered–mostly neighbors from nearby. At a glance, I recognized several familiar faces.[]
Seeing me emerge from the apartment, these neighbors became alarmed.[]
“Hold on tight! Don’t let got“]
Dupin 1
“We’ve called the fire department!”
Strangers who barely knew my name screamed for me to hold on. But Axel, who had shared over five years with me–nearly two thousand days and nights–didn’t even look back.]
I smiled bitterly, once again understanding what it meant to trust the wrong person.[]
With so many calls flooding in, Derek finally realized something was wrong. One or two calls could be dismissed as pranks, but with numerous increasingly urgent calls coming in, even he began to doubt his assumptions.]
Axel had used his authority to take nearly all firefighters to rescue Layla, leaving Derek with no team even if he wanted to respond.]]
The neighbors below waited anxiously, but no fire truck arrived.[]
Meanwhile, I was becoming increasingly unsteady on my perch.]
The pain in my belly left me pale and trembling uncontrollably. My hands, now covered in blisters from the heat, could barely grip the railing.
Amid the horrified cries from below, I could no longer hold on and fell backward…]
