Chapter 6 Playing With Fire
One letter was all it took to end five years of marriage, and I did it without a hint of hesitation. There was no sentiment left. From that moment on, whether I lived or died, whether I had everything or nothing. I had absolutely nothing to do with the CEO of Bennett Group anymore.
But the second I stepped out the door, my phone rang.
I headed back to the station as fast as I could..
Kennedy’s jaw practically hit the floor when he saw me stroll in early, suitcase in hand.
“Julian, what’s with the luggage?” he asked, his brow furrowing
in confusion.
When we went out on a mission, it was life or death. Nobody packed a bag. We wore our gear in, and often, that was what we died in.
“I sorted things out at home,” I said vaguely, my voice low. “Didn’t want my wife stumbling across my clothes and getting upset.”
I couldn’t bring myself to admit that my marriage to Elizabeth was already in latters.
Kennedy’s expression softened. “Julian, it’s not like we’re
Chapter 6 Playing With Fire
2/5
guaranteed to die out there. You don’t have to act like this is the
end.”
He sighed, then added, “I just got word. They’ve airlifted firefighting equipment to the mountain. We can head out now.”
“I’m ready,” I replied, my face a blank mask.
After saying goodbye to Elizabeth, I’d already made peace with the possibility of not coming back.
But Kennedy hesitated, his eyes flickering with reluctance.
d up. The situation’s changed. With the equipment and
dup.
e rain, the fire’s under control. Our team’s just handling the cleanup now. You don’t need to go.”
He didn’t want to say it, but I could tell that he was thinking of Elizabeth and me, how we hadn’t even started a family yet.
“Kennedy, I’m going,” I insisted. “I know I can help.”
Part
elt a quiet flicker of relief.
fire was under control, there’d be fewer casualties.
But that fleeting warmth snuffed out when I thought of Elizabeth and the cold, hollow state of our marriage.
I still chose to go.
Kennedy relented, and I joined the team as we headed out.
Chapter 6 Playing With Fire
3/5
By the time we arrived, the wildfire had been subdued, leaving behind a scarred landscape and the grim task of tallying losses. and tending to the wounded.
The sight of the devastation snapped me out of my personal turmoil, and I threw myself into the work.
For days, I lived at the base of the mountain.
The fire had been brutal. Though I wasn’t on the front lines, I saw the toll it took.
Body after body was carried down. Those had been my comrades. At that time, they were burned beyond recognition.
Most were local firefighters from nearby towns. Their families.
flooded in to claim them.
I watched wives collapse, sobbing, clutching their children, and their elderly parents, frail and trembling, fainted from grief when faced with the unrecognizable remains of their sons.
The weight of it all settled heavily in my chest, a bitter ache I
couldn’t shake.
And through it all, not a single call or text from Elizabeth. I got nothing.
If I could, I’d trade places with those men, just to give their families a chance to be whole again.
Elizabeth, my so–called partner, had never seen me as family.
Chapter 6 Playing With Fire
To her, I was just someone convenient, someone disposable.
***
4/5
At the same time, Elizabeth had just wrapped up a meeting.
The moment she stepped out of the conference room, a strange unease bloomed in her chest.
She instinctively placed a hand over her heart, unsure what was
Wrong.
Her assistant, Edward Brown, noticed her discomfort and leaned in with concern. “Ms. Bennett, are you alright? Should I cancel your afternoon meetings so you can rest?”
“No, I’m fine,” Elizabeth said, brushing it off.
Then, as if struck by a stray thought, she glanced at her phone.
No messages from Julian..
Her brow furrowed, an unfamiliar unease stirring within her. “Has Julian been behaving himself? Any word from the hotel?”
“Nothing, Ms. Bennett,” Edward replied, puzzled.
Elizabeth rarely mentioned her husband, let alone showed concern for him.
“Alright. You’re dismissed. I’m stepping out.”
Chapter 6 Playing With Fire
Without another word, Elizabeth left the building.
5/5
Thirty minutes later, she stood at the hotel’s front desk, sliding a sleek black card across the counter.
“Pull up Julian Thornton’s check–in records for the past few days,” she demanded..
The receptionist, recognizing her, answered promptly, “Ms. Bennett, Mr. Thornton didn’t stay here. He came by the first day, left with his suitcase shortly after, and hasn’t been back
since.”
