Trapped in a Fire, My Son and I Are Reborn

Chapter 7

Other firefighters stepped up. "Mr. Wang, how are you acting as deputy chief? Rescue order should be based on fire intensity and potential danger."

"Did all your years of firefighting experience go to waste?"

Mr. Wang wiped the corner of his eye with his dirty hand, lowering his head in regret, "Secretary, you should punish me! I should have forcibly led others to fight the fire!"

"I shouldn't have listened to the chief. I really couldn't determine if the chief's decision was right or wrong at the time!"

"Because I didn't expect the chief to... abandon his own wife and child, and make the wrong decision!"

Hearing his words, parents exchanged sensitive glances. The fire chief's own wife and child were on the third floor, and he didn't save them?!

Jake couldn't hold back anymore and cried out, "Dad, why didn't you come to save me! Why did you want to kill me!"

"Was Jake not good enough! Why don't you want Jake! If you don't want Jake, Jake doesn't want you either!"

My six-year-old son, twice betrayed by his own father, how could he bear it!

"Enough! Stop causing trouble!" Jason Carter impatiently yelled at us, "Rose Bennett, look at how you've raised this child!"

Jake, frightened, retreated behind me. I quickly picked him up, gently soothing him, "Jake, it's not your fault. It's the bad people's fault. If Dad doesn't want you, Mom still does."

Everyone looked at us in disbelief. Sophia's mom came over to comfort me, "Jake's dad, how could you treat your wife and child like this? They almost died!"

A sharp-eyed parent pointed out, "Jake's dad, you were holding Ms. Anderson the whole time! What's your relationship with Ms. Anderson?"

"Did you abandon the rescue to save your mistress?"

"Jake's dad, you're inhuman!"

Another parent shouted, "Principal, how could you let your daughter be a mistress!"

"Jake's mom tried to help in the firefighting, but the principal and teachers stopped us! Jake's mom was so anxious she cried!"

The teachers became uneasy, "It has nothing to do with us, we were just following the principal's orders."

The principal blurted out, "I didn't want the parents to risk their lives, after all... after all, it was so dangerous at the time."

"It was Jake's mom who insisted on rushing into the fire. To save her, I really put everything on the line, even got pushed down by her. Poor me, with these old bones."

Her words were extremely slick. Not only did she absolve herself of the passive rescue issue, but she also painted herself as someone who selflessly puts others first. But she misjudged the situation; the parents weren't buying it at all.

"You're lying. Jake's mom was trying to help with the rescue!"

The principal hastily said, "I didn't want the parents to risk their lives because it was so dangerous at the time."

"It was Jake's mom. She was determined to run into the fire, and in trying to save her, I was pushed down. Poor me, just a frail old woman."

She spoke smoothly, trying to distance herself from the criticism of neglecting rescue efforts while presenting herself as selfless. But she miscalculated; the parents weren't convinced.

"That's not true! Jake's mom was helping with the rescue!"

I couldn't understand why Principal Lee kept preventing me from helping with the fire. It seemed unlikely that the kindergarten's fire hydrants would have no water since the fire department conducts monthly checks. Even if there was an issue, it would have been fixed immediately.

Emily Anderson was criticized by everyone, her face changing from green to red with anger:

"Enough! Jake's mom is just trying to divert attention!"

"Don't forget who started the fire! The ones causing harm are her and her son!"

The fire brigade chief nodded to the reporting staff, who presented two bags of evidence:

"Chief, all inspection personnel are on site for urgent checks, and we've determined the cause of the fire!"

Emily looked at me confidently.

"This is the remnants of a classmate's backpack. From the burn level, this was the initial ignition point."

Parents who had previously sided with me gasped.

The chief asked, "Can you identify the cause of the fire?"

"Yes, Chief. Analysis of the remnants shows the fire was caused by a battery leak, which self-ignited in high temperatures, sparking a hydrogen-fueled blaze."

Emily, eager to pin the blame on me, nudged my shoulder: "See! I told you it was your fire!"

She shoved me, and other parents, like me, were angry but remained silent.

I replied to Emily, "Even if the fire's cause is as you say, it only shows you know the accident's details. But who can prove the items belonged to my son?"

"Chief," the staff continued, "by comparison, we found this backpack was placed in a cabinet belonging to a child named Jake."

Shock, disbelief, and anger spread among the parents. Those not involved in the rescue were the first to accuse me:

"Jake's mom, even if you despise the mistress, you shouldn't take it out on others. The kids are innocent."

"And now there's been an explosion. So many teachers and kids almost died!"