Chapter 5
The bus's chime jolted Lily out of her painful memories.
She grabbed the seat for support and staggered off the bus.
But from across the traffic light, Lily's eyes flew wide open, and it felt like her blood was rushing backwards in shock.
Her pastry shop was suddenly ablaze, flames roaring fiercely.
The fire shot up, painting half the sky red, while thick black smoke billowed out like demonic tentacles, clawing and grasping at everything.
The entire building was devoured by the flames, making a terrifying crackling and popping sound.
"No!" Lily let out a piercing scream and dashed toward the blaze like a woman possessed.
That was her life's work, her last remaining tie to her past.
The scorching heatwave slammed into her, forcing her to keep backing away.
The acrid smoke invaded her nose, making her eyes water and sending her into a fit of violent coughing.
Many of the neighbors in the area were regulars at Lily's pastry shop, so plenty of people knew her.
Knowing how much the shop meant to Lily, and seeing her dangerously close to the fire, a few concerned neighbors rushed over, shouting and frantically trying to pull her back.
"Lily, try to stay strong. If the shop's gone, you can always start over."
"You mustn't let anything happen to you."
"We've already called 911. The fire department's on its way. Please, don't do anything crazy."
Lily was gripped tightly by the two neighborhood ladies, who dragged her back to safety.
She stood there, powerless, watching as the fire raged on, growing wilder by the second. The red glow flickered in her eyes, as if all those memories with Jason over the years were playing out in the flames.
When Lily was eighteen, Jason single-handedly rescued her from the beating she was getting at the hands of Eric Simpson and his crew. Jason ended up with a bruised face, but still flashed her a cocky grin.
After graduation, Jason proposed outside the restaurant where Lily worked, holding up a makeshift ring made from a soda can tab, swearing he'd love her forever. His eyes were sincere.
Last night, in the hospital room, when Jason laid everything bare, his expression was cold and heartless.
The fire trucks came screaming down the street, their high-pressure hoses unleashing torrents of water.
But the blaze was too fierce that nothing could save it now.
Two hours later, the shop that had once been alive with hustle, bustle, and Lily's sweat and toil was reduced to nothing but ashes. Only a few charred beams remained, still smoking, telling the story of what once was.
Lily stood before the ashes, her gaze calm and unreadable, as if it wasn't her shop that had been reduced to cinders, but all the love, dependence, and those seven years of self-deceiving happiness she'd once shared with Jason.
Suddenly, a cocky rich kid in a gaudy shirt swaggered over to Lily, flanked by a bunch of sleazy sidekicks.
Lily recognized that bastard in an instant—it was Eric.
Memories of past fear came crashing over her like a tidal wave. Her face went ghostly pale, and she couldn't stop herself from trembling.
"Well, well, isn't that our old aloof genius, Lily? Been a while, huh!" Eric swaggered right up to her, giving her a dirty once-over with those sleazy eyes, clicking his tongue.
"Tsk, look at you now—skinny as a twig. That dried-up body of yours doesn't turn me on one bit."
His cronies behind him burst out in nasty, sleazy laughter.
Eric kept taunting her, not holding back his nastiness. "Back in the day, you were something else. So pretty, your skin was pale and tender. I still remember how tiny you were, how you felt in my hands."
The men's dirty laughter felt like needles in Lily's ears.