Chapter 2

The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only a few firefighters and me at the scene.

I crouched down, rubbed some ashes between my fingers, then brought them to my nose and sniffed.

"Find anything?" a deep male voice asked from behind me.

I turned around and saw a police officer in uniform, looking at me thoughtfully.

"The fire started from all sides at once," I said, pointing to the radial burn marks on the ground. "And there's a strong smell of gasoline. This doesn't look like an accident."

The officer raised an eyebrow, pulled out a notebook, and started writing. "Were you the first to discover the fire?"

"No." I shook my head. "By the time I got here, the fire was already out of control. But..." I hesitated. "I saw Joanna York running out of the burning building."

The officer's pen paused. "Joanna York? The girl in the white dress?"

I nodded, not saying anything more.

The comments had already told me that Joanna set the fire because she hated her stepmother, and Ryan ended up trapped when he tried to save her.

But now, everything was different.

Three days later, I went to the city hospital to visit Ryan.

I was right. The county hospital just couldn't handle an injury this complicated, and by the time he was transferred, he'd already missed the critical window for treatment.

The doctor said the nerves in his right leg were badly damaged. Even if he healed up well, it'd be tough for him to ever do any strenuous exercise again.

His future as an athlete was basically over.

The sharp scent of disinfectant hung in the air. Ryan was propped up in bed, his face still ghostly pale.

As soon as he saw me walk in, he turned his head away, jaw set in a hard line.

"Just came to check on you," I said.

I placed the fruit I'd brought on the bedside table. "Doctor says you're recovering pretty well."

He stayed silent, as if he hadn't heard me at all.

I just made myself comfortable, pulling out a chair. "The cops have made some progress. They found a gas can at the scene, and Joanna's fingerprints were all over it."

Ryan snapped his head toward me, eyes full of disbelief. "No way! Joanna's so kind. She would never do something like that!"

The comments: [Ryan's still sticking up for Joanna. He really loves her a lot.]

[Edith is at it again, trying to stir the pot. She's such a schemer.]

[Poor Joanna. She just lost control for a moment.]

The comments flashed before my eyes. Seeing Ryan get so worked up over this, I couldn't help but find it a little funny.

"Kind?" I pulled a sarcastic smile. "I bet that little girl Joanna shoved into the pond and nearly drowned would have a different take on her 'kindness'."

Ryan was stunned. "What are you talking about?"

"Three years ago, at the pond on the east side of the village," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Joanna pushed a neighbor's little girl in, and then faked calling for help.

"If I hadn't happened to walk by and pulled her out, that kid wouldn't be here now."

Back then, Joanna flipped the whole story. She claimed the girl fell in by accident, and she was the brave one who saved her.

I was the real rescuer, but because I argued with Joanna, everyone said I was just jealous and trying to drag her down.

Ryan bought her story and blew up at me over it. That was when things between us started to go south.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Ryan's voice trembled.

"Would it have made a difference?" I shot back. "Back then, you were convinced I was lying, weren't you?"

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His face went from pale to flushed.

The door swung open, and Joanna walked in, carrying a soup container. She froze when she saw me, and then her face twisted into a look of wounded innocence.

She said, "Edith, what are you doing here? Are you still mad at me? I'm sorry about our fight the other day..."

"I'm not mad," I cut her off. "I'm just here to tell Ryan that the police might be coming to question you."

Joanna's face went paper white. The soup container slipped from her hands and hit the floor with a loud bang, chicken soup splattering everywhere.

"What... What the hell are you talking about..." she stammered, backing away, her eyes welling up with tears. "I didn't set the fire! You can't just slander me because Ryan picked me over you..."

The comments: [Ugh, poor Joanna. Edith is bullying her so badly.]

[Ryan, hurry up and protect Joanna!]

[Edith is so vicious. She just can't stand seeing the main couple happy.]

Sure enough, Ryan immediately frowned at me. "Edith, don't go too far. Joanna is sad enough."

I stood up, glancing at these oh-so-passionate leads, and suddenly found the whole scene utterly meaningless.

"I'm leaving," I said, grabbing my bag. "Just make sure you tell the truth when the cops show up."

As I reached the door, I heard Joanna practically sobbing. "Ryan, I'm so scared... I swear I didn't set the fire..."

Ryan said softly, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you."

I closed the door behind me, leaving all that phony affection locked inside.