Chapter 4

In the distance, I saw their car suddenly stop. I thought they had heard my cries.

Even if they hadn't, the roaring flames lighting up the night sky were impossible to miss.

I thought they were coming back to save me. But a second later, the car sped up and drove away.

Until the headlights completely vanished.

I stood frozen, my mind going entirely blank.

Why? They knew I was trapped inside, and they saw the fire. Why did they choose to leave me?

Could they really just watch me burn to death?

Standing by the window, I felt utterly hopeless. The flames were licking at my feet, and the suffocating heat made it impossible to breathe.

Was I really going to die here?

Why were my parents so cruel? Had they never, even for a second, loved me?

Perhaps I would never get the answer.

As the fire reached for my face, I closed my eyes in despair.

The next second, the window frame was smashed open from the outside.

A figure rushed through the smoke and pulled me out. When I finally came to, I realized it was my wife, Audrey.

She sat me down under a large oak tree in the yard, her face pale with worry.

"Ethan! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I saw your Snapchat about going to your parents' for dinner, and I planned to pick you up afterward."

"But when I got near the area, I saw the sky lit up with fire. Then I saw Chloe's car speeding out of the woods like crazy. What happened?"

Before I could answer, the nearby residents noticed the fire and rushed over with buckets of water to put it out.

Watching them run back and forth, throwing water on the flames, a deep sorrow washed over me.

Even complete strangers would risk themselves to help someone in danger.

Yet my own flesh and blood chose to abandon me, leaving me to burn to death.

At that moment, the final string of affection I held for my family snapped completely.

Once the fire was under control, a local resident ran over to me, panting.

"Hey man, what happened here?"

"Was the wiring bad? It's so dry out here, did it just catch fire?"

I took a deep breath, looked at the crowd, and said,

"No. It was attempted murder."

"Please, call the police."