novelnext Chapter 6
Chapter 6
As the flames surged, my face turned pale.
I dragged my broken body forward, just about to stop her, when Coco kicked me, hard, slamming me into the bedpost.
Before I could even catch my breath, she ran straight to the door, screaming like a victim in a horror movie.
Jack burst in within seconds.
He rushed straight to Coco and wrapped her in his arms, his voice shaking with concern.
"Coco, what happened? Are you hurt?"
Mom followed close behind, her panic dialed up to ten even though Coco didn't have a scratch on her.
"Quick! Someone take Coco to the hospital!"
Everyone circled around Coco.
No one noticed me. No one saw the blood trickling from my temple where Coco's heel had landed. I was curled on the floor like garbage in the corner of my own room.
Coco trembled in Jack's arms, crocodile tears streaming down her face.
"I, I just wanted to check on Lily… she's been so depressed lately. But then she said I didn't deserve to wear the wedding dress while she's disfigured, and she, she set the curtains on fire! She said she wanted to burn me alive too. Jack, I was so scared..."
Jack turned on me like a switch had flipped.
His eyes blazed.
"Are you insane? Coco stepped up to help you finish the ceremony, and this is how you repay her? You're disgusting. Look at yourself, you're a freak. You make me sick."
Mom didn't hold back either.
"I should've known you were rotten to the core. I should've let the first fire take you out when it had the chance. You're not even worth one of Coco's fingers. You deserve that face."
Then they left.
Just like that.
At the door, Jack threw one last look over his shoulder at the flames devouring the curtains and sneered,
"You like fire so much? Enjoy it. Lock the door. Make sure no one opens it."
The door slammed shut.
My screams and pounding fists were met with silence.
Outside, Mom's voice held a flicker of doubt.
"Jack... are you sure we should lock her in like that? What if something really happens?"
He scoffed.
"What's the worst that could happen? It's all just one of her attention-seeking stunts. She probably has a fire extinguisher hidden somewhere. Let her sit in it for a while, she'll be fine."
He didn't look back.
Instead, he whisked Coco away to the hospital, had her checked head to toe, and only when the doctors confirmed she was perfectly fine did he finally remember me.
He sighed and pulled out his phone.
But before he could make a call, a news alert lit up the screen.
Breaking: Massive Fire Breaks Out at East Linden Villa. Woman Trapped Inside. Rescue Too Late.
Jack's finger hovered over the screen, his frown deepening.
Before he could react, his phone rang, it was the housekeeper.
"I was just about to call you," Jack said impatiently. "Get Lily ready. I'm taking her on our honeymoon. France. Her favorite place."
The housekeeper's voice shook on the other end.
"Young Master… the villa… it caught fire. The missus… she… she didn't make it."
A heavy silence dropped in the hallway like a bomb.
Jack's hand tightened around the phone, his voice ice-cold.
"Are you out of your mind? You dare curse my wife like that?"
Beside him, Coco's eyes sparkled for the briefest second before she quickly masked it with a fake look of shock and sympathy.
She gently tugged on Jack's sleeve.
"Jack, it's just my sister playing tricks again. I bet she's in on it with the housekeeper, trying to guilt-trip you for locking her in. You know how dramatic she is. Always pulling these stunts to get your attention."
"If you want my opinion, you should send her far, far away. Somewhere she can learn some respect. Let her suffer a bit, she'll finally understand how good she had it. Honestly, for someone that shameless, you've spoiled her way too much."
Jack's eyes didn't move.
For the first time, his voice was low and dangerous.
"Shut up."
Coco blinked. "W-What?"
Jack turned slowly to face her.
"When did my wife's life become any of your business?"