Chapter 103
Chapter 103
The raging fire quickly consumed the house, leaving absolutely no sign that anyone would make it out alive. Ruan screamed for help as sirens lit up the busy street. It wasn't even six in the morning yet, and darkness still covered the sky, but horrified neighbors already crowded the sidewalk.
Ruan handed an unconscious Megan over to the paramedic and told him who was inside the house. The reflection of the flames danced in his eyes as tears streamed down his face. Not because he actually cared about Josephine's life, but because the scene reminded him of his own destroyed home and the absolute tragedy his life had become ever since Megan's husband showed up.
The firefighters blasted the house with water hoses, slowly dousing the flames. Ruan felt the first rays of sunlight burn his skin; how had things reached this breaking point?
“Ruan,” a heavy hand clapped down hard on his shoulder, making him jump. Ruan whipped around to look at the man, blood boiling in his veins. “The paramedics took Megan to the hospital; she isn't injured. She claims a man named Osvaldo started the fire.”
“Osvaldo” Ruan knitted his brows, confused. “She told me her husband was here, and his name isn't Osvaldo.”
“Alexander,” the detective said, turning his gaze back to the charred remains of the house, “is just a fake name he gave everyone in Phoenix so we wouldn't track him down so fast.”
“Are you saying Megan lied to me?” Ruan clenched his fists instantly.
“She lied to everyone,” the detective said, giving him a gentle pat on the back as a poor attempt at comfort. “Maybe Osvaldo forced her into it. We pulled his criminal record. He's a wanted felon in his home country. I'm truly sorry.”
The detective's condolences did nothing to ease the bitter resentment eating away at Ruan. It felt like a wave of pure acid burning through his stomach, making him groan and twist in pain. Nothing could ever justify what had happened. Megan's lies had utterly ruined his life, and Ruan felt like a complete idiot for forever trusting her.
“I'm sorry about Josephine,” the detective added, looking back at the property. When Ruan turned around, he saw the firefighters carrying a body out of the house. “What a tragic way to go.”
“Are you certain it's her?” Ruan asked, his eyes glued to the scene.
“The fire didn't char the body. You can take a look if you like.”
“I can't,” a tight lump choked his throat. He turned his back to the scene, facing the beautiful, touristy side of Phoenix instead. “I need to get to the hospital and talk to Megan.”
The detective nodded, acting completely indifferent. He didn't interrogate Ruan about what he saw, nor did he care about his pain. He simply let Ruan walk away without any hassle.
Not only that, but he drove to the city hospital, unable to wipe the image of the flames swallowing the entire house from his mind. It felt like a horror movie. If he had just stayed married to Chloe, taking care of his family and his business, none of this would have happened. Now Ruan fully understood why Chloe wanted to escape Phoenix, and the same urge sparked inside him.
Ruan shot a cold glance at Megan when he found her in the hospital room, hooked up to an IV. She looked exactly like the Megan he had met years ago and fallen in love with. Just a lost little girl desperately needing someone to protect her. Ruan wasn't even sure if that version of Megan had ever truly existed.
“I'm so glad you're here,” she sobbed, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. “They're telling me my mom is dead…”
She broke down into tears again, her heavy sobs cutting her off. Ruan stepped closer, once again letting her cry all over his smoke-scented t-shirt.
“I'm sorry, Megan,” he said, though deep down he didn't mean it—honestly, a dead Josephine might actually make things easier. “You need to tell me what happened. Why would Osvaldo murder your mother?”
“What did you just say?” She pulled back instantly, her tears wiping the soot stains from her face.
“Osvaldo,” he repeated stubbornly. “Isn't that your husband's real name?”
“I…” She stammered, but Ruan immediately cut off her deceitful intentions.
“I am not sitting here to listen to another one of your lies, and I don't give a damn about why you hid that man's true identity either. I want to know why Josephine is dead. Why did Osvaldo leave her locked inside that burning house to die?”
Megan dropped her head. Ruan couldn't tell if she felt ashamed, remorseful, or if she was just buying time to manufacture another lie, but he kept his patience and waited for her to confess.
“My mother wanted me to run away with him; she was forcing me to,” she whispered, slowly lifting her gaze to meet his. “My mother introduced us in the first place. She convinced me that marrying him would be way more lucrative than marrying you. She helped me steal money from his company, and she's the one who brought him to Phoenix.”
Ruan frowned as he listened, but the shocking revelation didn't terrify him nearly as much as the complete lack of remorse on Megan's face.
“I locked her in the house,” she confessed. “I didn't know the place was on fire; by the time I realized it, it was already too late. It was the only way to escape this living nightmare. I didn't want my mother to die. I didn't mean to…”
She broke down sobbing once more. Ruan stumbled backward in horror. He didn't recognize the woman sitting in front of him; he had absolutely no idea who she was. The Megan he had loved once upon a time didn't exist anymore, and a literal monster had taken her place.