Chapter 9

There was only one day left in the cooling-off period when Josh handed Sloane the house sale contract. Early that morning, she received a video message from Keke. It showed the greenhouse where Sloane's late mother had lovingly nurtured each flower. Every bloom was a testament to her mother's care and dedication. In the video, Keke had a gasoline canister at her feet. "Sloane, these flowers are so beautiful. Do you think they would look better if I burned them all? I'm waiting for you here. Let's admire it together." A surge of fury shot through Sloane. She didn't have time to think. She rushed over immediately. Keke was standing at the greenhouse entrance while toying with a lighter. Her expression was dark and unreadable. "Sloane, just because you said no, Easton refused to take me to Edden. Today, I want to see just how important you are to him." A sense of foreboding gripped Sloane as she watched Keke's determined expression. The lighter in Keke's palm looked like it was about to fall at any second. Sloane didn't hesitate as she lunged forward to snatch it away. Keke's gaze was fixed on Sloane's face. She finally saw a crack in Sloane's usual cold, detached expression. A twisted smile played on her lips. As soon as her grip loosened, the flame touched the gasoline, instantly igniting a raging inferno. Keke was about to say something when she caught sight of the approaching Cullinan in her peripheral vision. With a ruthless push, she shoved both herself and Sloane into the fire. When Easton rushed out of the car, he saw two struggling figures engulfed in flames. Thick white smoke blurred Sloane's vision, and the searing heat made it nearly impossible for her to breathe. Squinting, she reached down and clutched a dogwood flower that hadn't caught fire. The smoke invaded her lungs, squeezing the air from them. Eventually, the firehouse's weakened structure gave way. Its beams came crashing down. Relying on sheer memory, Sloane ran toward an area with weaker flames, but before she could escape, Keke, who was nearly suffocating, grabbed her leg with all her strength. Sloane, who was already pushing past her limits, collapsed to the ground. She was instinctively gasping for air. Then, a figure charged into the flames. Easton ran toward them in a soaked coat. Through the haze, Sloane's eyes fluttered open. She instinctively reached out, only to watch Easton pass her by. He lifted Keke into his arms and rushed out while calling her name. He didn't spare Sloane even a glance. Sloane squeezed her eyes shut, draining the last tears from her heart. Her survival instincts kicked in. With the last of her strength, she clutched the flower and ran. Once outside the inferno, Sloane collapsed onto the ground, watching as Easton performed CPR on Keke. She hugged the flower tightly. As she struggled to stand, she finally caught Easton's attention. He belatedly turned to her. "Lo, I saved Keke first since I saw you were still conscious. Are you okay?" Sloane froze in place. Keke stirred slightly. Her fingers were twitching. Only then did Easton let out a sigh of relief. "Lo, let me take you to the hospital—" Before he could finish, Keke whimpered. Her voice was trembling with tears. "Easton, I was so scared..." Caught between them, Easton hesitated. Sloane's voice was hoarse as she said, "I can go to the hospital myself. You should take care of Keke." "I'll come to you later," Easton blurted out. Sloane said nothing and only tightened her grip on the flower. Her reddened eyes had no more tears to shed. By the end of today, her marriage with Easton, which lasted seven years, would be over. From now on, the name "Easton Chapman" would be erased from her life. Sloane watched as Easton carried Keke into the car and drove off in the opposite direction. Then, standing before the raging fire, she suddenly let out a bitter laugh. She raised a hand, stopping the people who had come to put out the fire. Turning to the servants, she ordered them to gather all her belongings and, one by one, she threw them into the flames. After washing her face, she checked her reflection in the mirror. She adjusted her hairpin with satisfaction before offering herself a smile. She sent a message to Wilder. "What are we eating today? I'm hungry." As she stepped out the door, she glanced down, removed the wedding ring from her finger, and tossed it into the fire. She walked away without looking back.