Love in Flames: It All Goes Up in Smoke

It was obvious James was affected by that message of mine that had come out of the blue. At least, even as he sat in the car, he didn't look as happy as he had before. His forehead was slightly creased, and it looked like he was in a bad mood.

Even Harrison, who was always a chatterbox, knew better than to try and talk to James at a time like this. However, Monica carefully poked James in the arm and asked, "What's the matter, Captain Ellis?"

Her concerned tone melted his icy expression a little. "It's nothing. I just saw something displeasing."

Good.

The more displeased he was, the more pleased I was. Why should he get to openly spend time being all friendly and intimate with his female colleague while I had to stay at home to wait on him and Harrison like a maid?

Although I hadn't actually cheated on him, I still wanted him to feel discomfited by it. I wanted it to keep him up at night.

"Well, you're the one who taught me to deal with my negative emotions by venting with a shout before confronting it and resolving it. Why aren't you taking your own advice?"

Upon hearing Monica's reminder to James, I felt such a tightness in my chest that I thought I'd died once again.

Following James' first mission as a firefighter, he developed insomnia after having witnessed someone die with his own eyes. I was the one who stuck with him through those grueling times.

I gave up on my high-paying job as a translator and chose to stay at home so that I could look after the emotionally scarred James. Even so, he still blamed himself for not saving everyone from the fire.

No matter how hard I tried to counsel him, he continued to wallow in guilt and regret.

In the end, I took him hiking. When we got to the peak, we shouted together, and I said to him the very same words Monica had just said.

James had breezily shared the past between us with another woman.

"I'll do my best," James replied to Monica. Seemingly taking her advice, he took his phone out and sent me a message.

"Let's find a time to meet up and talk things through. If you get an abortion, I'll pretend like nothing ever happened. By the way, what do you want for dinner? Shall I bring you some fried chicken from the place you used to love the most?"

He was referring to a fried chicken store in the northern district of the city. While we were dating, it was the only good food James could afford to get me. To avoid hurting his self-esteem, I always smiled and told him how much I loved it. It got to a point where I even started believing it too.

Alas, even my neighbors knew that I didn't like fried food, but my own husband never realized that. Had I done too good of a job hiding it, or had James never cared to pay attention?

Well, the answer to that question didn't matter anymore.

They were still heading to the northern district when James got a call again.

"Captain Ellis, didn't you say the fire at Jasper Heights has been put out? Why are we still getting multiple calls about it? Are you sure the fire was completely extinguished?" the dispatcher questioned angrily.

All the color drained from James' face. Leaving the scene of a fire without permission when the fire was still containable was a severe offense. It could lead to an official warning, a suspension, or even termination.

"Time is of the essence. I've dispatched a fire crew over to Jasper Heights. Hurry up and head over there to help them!"