Love Ablaze

e fire had taken everything, her home, her memories, her sense of safety. But it hadn't tak

life he had built without her. Joana's hands tightened on the steering wheel before she forced he

he fire was still fresh in her mind, and the fear of what she might find inside this buildi

hed straight to the elevator, ignoring the curious glances from the receptionist. Her heart pounded as the

d been here countless times before, but today, it felt different, cold, unfamiliar. The large double door

re, alright but he wasn't alone. His secretary, a young woman with platinum blonde hair and an impossibly short skirt, was perched

r she had been holding onto turned into something much darker, disgust, betrayal, a deep, ach

her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. James turned around, his eyes wide

ice laced with false concer

ned down, James," she hissed, her voice low and deadly. "The house whe

t? Fear? It was hard to tell. "You think I started the fire?" he asked, his voice drip

ou've already taken everything els

ar more sinister. "You're paranoid," he said coldly. "The fire was an accident, noth

ow do you know I'm looking for answers?

leaned back in his chair, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "You should stay away from certain people," he w

and the realization that James was monitoring her e

t believe how low James had sunk, how far he was willing to go to cover his tracks. But what sc

e the woman she passed. But something made her stop and

cles under her eyes. She was dressed in a business suit, but it hung loosely on her thin frame, making her look

rance gave her pause. She looked... sick. Joana couldn't place it, but there was

ok her head and hurried away, disappearing arou

. There was something wrong with Martha, something more than just

building, the encounter with Martha adding another l

se destroyed, she had nowhere else to go, and Gina had immediately offere

s events, her voice trembling with emotion. Gina listene

hen Joana finished. "He's got s

dn't slept in what felt like days, and the stress of everything was star

ve you heard anything about Ma

ent. "She came into the hospital a few days ago. She looked awful, Jo.

pped a beat. "Wha

nything. But then she sighed. "She's pregnant, Jo. She

need to guess who the father was. The betrayal cut even deeper now, the wound still fresh a