Chapter 102
Chapter 102
Can't you convince her to stay?" Grace asked, leaning over the counter as the steam from her tea brushed against her face.
"Why would Chloe even listen to me?" Ruan replied, taking a sip of his tea right after. He sat in the kitchen at three in the morning talking to Grace because he couldn't get a decent night's sleep.
"You two were married; Chloe loves you."
The hot liquid went down the wrong pipe, choking Ruan and burning his throat. He rushed to grab a glass of water to soothe the burning sensation that flared up in his stomach and climbed back up to his throat. It took him nearly two minutes to find his voice again.
"Is that what Chloe told you?" he asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "That she loves me? Do you actually believe that?"
"Don't you?" she countered, leaning forward again to lock eyes with him. "Can't you see it yourself whenever you look at her?"
Ruan felt like a total idiot when Grace laughed at him. Either she was messing with him, or she meant it so sincerely that she mocked his silence when she realized he didn't have an answer. Ruan tried to dig through his memories, searching for the way Chloe used to look at him. It felt pathetic; how could he possibly know if she loved him just by reading her eyes?
"A woman would just know," she kept teasing. Ruan nearly lost his temper.
The very next second, his phone buzzed against the cold countertop. He watched the device slide with each vibration and stared in utter disbelief when he recognized the number. His reaction instantly gave away his irritation. He rubbed his face, forcing a heavy breath from his lungs.
"That right there is exactly why Chloe is leaving Phoenix," she said, pointing at the screen. "Even after everything Megan did, you still give her the green light to call you."
"This has nothing to do with..." He cut his own sentence short because Grace turned her back on him and walked away.
The phone buzzed again. Ruan snatched the device, seriously contemplating throwing it against the wall. Grace might have a point about one thing: he shouldn't give Megan any access to his life, not after everything she pulled. Yet, he answered the call anyway, knowing he would regret it the next instant.
"Please, Megan, don't call me anymore."
"I need your help," she sobbed. Ruan bolted to his feet, his eyes widening at the pure panic in her voice. "Alexander is here. He wants me to go with him. Please, Ruan, help me."
He knitted his brows as he listened to her trembling voice on the other end of the line. Megan gasped for air, making a familiar, agonizing sound. He could literally feel the terror bleeding through her words.
On the other hand, he considered that it might be a setup. The guy could have easily threatened Megan, forcing her to call him to bait him into an ambush.
"Where are you?" he asked, walking into the living room and grabbing his car keys.
"At my mom's house," she whispered. "Please, hurry."
The sound of a door slamming shut and Megan's piercing scream were the last things Ruan heard before the call disconnected. He sprinted out of the house, and a wave of hot air hit his face the moment he opened the vehicle. What he was doing was absolute madness—he could be driving straight into a trap—but he slammed his foot on the gas and accelerated down the completely deserted roads at four in the morning.
He heard sirens wailing in the distance, his heart racing even faster than the car he drove. Dense, dark smoke stained the navy-blue sky as dawn slowly cracked on the horizon. The stench of burning rubber and wood invaded his nostrils, and he slammed on the brakes when he saw Josephine's house engulfed in flames.
It was pure hell before the first rays of sunlight.
He jumped out of the car, sprinting toward the blazing house, where he found Megan on her knees, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"What happened, Megan?" he demanded, grabbing her by the shoulder, but she was in total shock.
"My mom is inside," she cried, pointing toward the house. "Alexander set the place on fire with her still inside."
The raging flames illuminated Ruan's eyes. He stood up, thinking he might still have a window to save Josephine, and he actually tried to move forward until a sudden explosion singed the hair on his arms.
If Josephine was still inside that house, it was already way too late to save her.