Chapter 8

The cortisone injection had stopped working. Hazel was aching all over as she dragged herself back to the dance studio. She hadn't expected to find it on fire. Her dance materials were still inside. She rushed in, hoping to put out the flames before they got worse. But to her horror, the fire only grew stronger. "Hazel, do you like the gift I prepared for you? Fred really loves me. We're getting engaged soon. You'll give us your blessing, won't you?" Macy had slipped in at some point without Hazel noticing. Before she could react, Macy shut the door behind her. It was the only way out. Hazel stared at her in disbelief. "Are you insane? We're both going to die here!" But Macy's smile didn't waver. "Not me. It'll be just you." She then dialed a number and began sobbing into the phone. "Fred, help! There's a fire!" Barely a minute later, someone kicked the door open. The smoke was too thick. Hazel couldn't see who it was. However, she soon heard his low and urgent voice. "Macy, don't be afraid. I'm here. I'll get you out." Hazel tried to speak, but the smoke rushed into her mouth, choking her before she could make a sound. With the last bit of strength she had, she pulled out her phone and dialed Freddy's number. She didn't expect him to save her. She just wanted him to know there was someone else still trapped inside. Through the roar of the flames, she heard his ringtone. It was loud and persistent. However, Freddy never picked up. She even heard Macy's voice, feigning concern. "Fred, I think that's Hazel calling. Maybe you should answer. She's been calling non-stop. What if she's in danger?" Freddy's voice remained as cold as ever. "Let her be. If she dies, she deserves it." Their silhouettes disappeared into the blaze. All the pain and humiliation of the day spilled over. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The flames grew fiercer. Her consciousness began to fade. Somehow, it all felt familiar. Buried deep in forgotten memories, she remembered the night she was kidnapped at 18 years old. She was abandoned in a burning garage by her captors. Just like now, she had felt utterly helpless. A boy had rushed in through the flames, calling her name like a madman. He had shielded her with his own body, wrapping her tightly in his arms. She remembered what he whispered in her ear. "Hazel, stay with me. I'll get you out safely. You told me your brother was sick and needed a blood transfusion. I traded my own blood for those rosary beads you were always so attached to." He'd struggled to put something around her wrist. "He said he's had these two strings of beads since birth. Let's make a deal. From now on, let this one protect you, even when I'm no longer around, alright?" That boy had risked his life to save hers. But afterward, she had a terrible fever for three days. When she woke, she'd forgotten the entire kidnapping. And in the hazy, broken fragments of memory, she thought Freddy was the one who saved her. It had never been him. Now she remembered everything. … Hazel jolted awake. Her face was wet with tears. The doctor was saying something, but it was just noise. None of it mattered anymore. She'd loved the wrong person all this time. She couldn't stay here another minute. Hazel stumbled out of bed. For the first time in her life, she used her status as the Hamilton family's heiress and boarded her family's private jet. She had to return to Northbury. She had to find the boy who'd died for her when she was 18 years old, her real love.