Chapter 10 Deadbeat
Inside her car, Elizabeth broke down. The last shreds of her composure fell apart in the silence.
“Julian, you deadbeat!
“How dare you just walk out on me like that?”
The moment Elizabeth slid into her car, the dam broke. All the emotions she’d been holding back erupted in a flood. Tears streamed down her face, her chest heaving with raw, aching grief.
Standing in that camp, staring at those lifeless figures draped in white sheets, their fireproof suits peeking out, she’d been gripped by terror.
She was terrified she wouldn’t find Julian. Worse, she was terrified that if she lifted one of those sheets, she would see him. lying lifeless underneath.
Now, alone in her car, Elizabeth couldn’t keep up the facade. Her heart felt pierced, each beat a sharp, scaring pain.
Is Julian really gone?
She didn’t know, and she couldn’t bring herself to keep looking.
She’d spent years honing her inner strength through her
Chapter 10 Deadbeat
Buddhist practice, convinced she’d fortified her heart against life’s storms.
But at this moment, she was undone, her defenses shattered.
2/7
Crumpling over the steering wheel, she sobbed like a child, her cries echoing in the quiet car.
Then her phone rang, cutting through the haze of her grief.
Elizabeth bolted upright, her heart leaping as she fumbled for the phone, hope surging through her.
“Is it Julian?”
Her mind raced, already crafting excuses for him.
Maybe he’d been so consumed with fighting the wildfire that he hadn’t had a moment to check in.
Maybe his phone was dead because there was no power up in the mountains.
She clung to every hopeful thought she could find.
Julian still loves me. He still cares.
That’s why the moment his phone came back on, he called me first… Right?
The faintest spark of relief warmed her chest.
Chapter 10 Deadbeat
But then her eyes locked onto the screen. It wasn’t Julian.
It was Callum.
“Why him?”
The fragile hope on her face froze and then crumbled.
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Once, Julian’s calls had annoyed her, while Callum’s lit up her day.
Now, everything had flipped.
How desperately she wished Julian would reach out, just once.
The phone kept ringing, insistent.
Elizabeth looked up at the scorched ruins around her, the aftermath of the wildfire still smoldering in the distance. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes.
When she opened them, she’d wiped away her tears and steadied her breathing. She answered the call as she started the car, ready to leave this place behind.
“Hey, Callum, what’s up?”
“Elizabeth, you’ve been ghosting me all day. Is work keeping you that busy?”
“Uh… Yeah, it’s been hectic at the company today. What’s going
on?”
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4/7
She hesitated but followed his lead, her voice carefully neutral.
“Nothing major. Gideon’s been begging to see you, and he’s wearing me down, so I figured I’d give you a call.
“Hope I’m not interrupting?”
Callum’s tone was tentative, probing.
Before Elizabeth could respond, Gideon’s eager voice burst through.
“Mommy, when are you coming home? Daddy and I miss you!
“Daddy booked a fancy dinner tonight, but you didn’t show, and he was so bummed.
“He brought the food home, though. Are you gonna eat with us?”
Gideon’s barrage of questions softened the tension in Elizabeth’s brow.
She took a deep breath, forcing a smile as she replied, “Oh, sweetie, that sounds wonderful. Tell your dad I’m sorry for missing dinner. Wait for me, okay?
“I’m done with work, and I’ll be home tonight for our big meal.”
The moment she finished, Gideon’s cheers rang out, bright and infectious.
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5/7
Callum took the phone back. “Alright, we’ll be waiting. Need met to pick you up?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Okay then. Drive safe. Gideon and I will be at home.”
“Got it,” Elizabeth said, her voice warm and patient, a practiced gentleness in her tone.
As the call ended, her smile faded. A shadow passed over her eyes, her expression turning murky, unreadable.
She turned the car around and dialed Edward.
“Ms. Bennett, what do you need?”
“I want you to pull the list of firefighters who died in this wildfire. Check if… if Julian’s name is on it.”
Her voice trembled, each word laced with cautious dread.
“That bad?
“I’m sure Mr. Thornton’s fine. I’ll compile the info and get back to you as soon as I can.”
Edward’s voice tightened with concern.
“No rush,” Elizabeth said, her gaze lingering on the firefighting camp outside her window, its tents stark against the blackened
Chapter 10 Deadbeat
carth.
“Just have it ready for me tomorrow morning at the office.
“I’m tied up tonight. Don’t disturb me.”
“Understood, Ms. Bennett,” Edward said respectfully.
The call ended, and Elizabeth’s face settled into calm resolve. She tucked her phone away, pressed the gas, and drove off without looking back.
Buddhism teaches that emotions and desires are tests of the heart in this fleeting world.
Elizabeth knew she couldn’t escape those feelings, but she refused to let them rule her for long.
She saw no point in lingering here.
Julian might still be out there, fighting the fire. He might be sulking, hiding from her to prove a point.
Or… he might be gone.
But tomorrow morning, she’d have an answer.
For tonight, she chose to let it go. She’d go home to Gideon, share that meal, and be present for him.
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After Elizabeth left, Kennedy caught a glimpse of her car as it pulled away. He turned to me, his brow furrowed with curiosity.
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7/7
“Julian, that car looked familiar. Was that yours? Did your wife come looking for you?”
