Reborn in Fire

Jolie stood just a few meters away, dressed in a simple white maxi dress, her face twisted into an eerie smile. Beside her, she held her son's hand, Max, who eyed me with open curiosity. Her gaze landed on the lisianthus I had brought, and she covered her mouth in feigned surprise. "Oh, what a coincidence, Theo loved the lisianthus I gave him too." She drew out the name of the flower slowly on purpose, her tone laced with unmistakable bragging. I looked at her hypocritical face and felt a wave of nausea. Jolie seemed pleased with my reaction, and she raised her hand, as if by accident, to touch the necklace around her neck. The necklace held a delicate small pure gold longevity locket, with the character for "Theo" engraved on the plate. My breath caught abruptly. How dared she! After I had made such a huge scene, she still dared to wear Theo's longevity locket and flaunt it right in front of me! On the day of the crash, it had hung around Theo's neck, but later, it went missing at the hospital. I searched like a madwoman until Ryland said it must have been lost by the cleanup crew, and only then did I give up the hunt. Ryland made such a fine father, using his own son's keepsake to please his lover. Jolie's fingers traced the "Theo" name lightly, and she leaned down to whisper in my ear, her voice so low only we two could hear. "Ryland said Theo adored me the most in life, and he surely would have wanted me to wear this, to feel the world for him, to feel his love for you in your place." A sharp crack rang out. I swung with all my strength and slapped her hard across the face. My palm burned with stinging pain, but the ache in my heart hurt a million times more. Five clear finger marks bloomed instantly on Jolie's face, and she stared at me in disbelief, her eyes welling up fast, tears spilling like beads from a broken string. "Mommy!" Her son charged at me like a little animal right away and pounded my legs with all his might, "You bad woman! You are not allowed to hit my mommy! Ryland said Mommy is very important to him!" At that moment, a harsh screech of brakes shattered the cemetery's peace. A black Bentley sped in and halted nearby. The door flew open, and Ryland's tall figure leaped from the car. "Elena!" A low roar laced with fury. The next second, a massive force shoved me hard. I staggered back unprepared, my back slamming into Theo's tombstone. The hard edge sliced my arm open at once, carving a long gash. A piercing pain spread from my arm. Ryland did not spare me a glance and rushed straight to Jolie, pulling her and the frightened Max into his arms. When he looked down and saw the clear handprint, he turned back to me with eyes that seemed ready to tear me apart. "Elena, have you lost your mind! You would not even spare a child? Even at Theo's grave, you had to stir up trouble and disturb his peace!" Every word from him struck my heart like a heavy hammer. I watched his protective stance over that mother and son, and suddenly it all felt utterly ridiculous. He had no idea what happened, nor did he care to know. In his eyes, I was just the hysterical lunatic. I braced against the tombstone behind me and slowly straightened up, blood from my arm dripping down my fingertips. Ryland eyed my bleeding arm, and the arm holding Jolie tightened, a flicker of regret crossing his eyes before anger swallowed it whole. He looked at me, each word deliberate, his tone carrying some inexplicable anguish. "Do you have any idea what you look like right now, how long will you keep this up before you snap out of it!" Ryland scooped up Jolie and the boy and drove off in the black Bentley. I offered no explanation, shed no tears. I just leaned against Theo's cold tombstone and numbly watched the three of them disappear into the distance.