It was obvious James was affected by that message of mine that had come out of the blue. At least, even as he sat in the car, he didn't look as happy as he had before. His forehead was slightly creased, and it looked like he was in a bad mood.

Even Harrison, who was always a chatterbox, knew better than to try and talk to James at a time like this. However, Monica carefully poked James in the arm and asked, "What's the matter, Captain Ellis?"

Her concerned tone melted his icy expression a little. "It's nothing. I just saw something displeasing."

Good.

The more displeased he was, the more pleased I was. Why should he get to openly spend time being all friendly and intimate with his female colleague while I had to stay at home to wait on him and Harrison like a maid?

Although I hadn't actually cheated on him, I still wanted him to feel discomfited by it. I wanted it to keep him up at night.

"Well, you're the one who taught me to deal with my negative emotions by venting with a shout before confronting it and resolving it. Why aren't you taking your own advice?"

Upon hearing Monica's reminder to James, I felt such a tightness in my chest that I thought I'd died once again.

Following James' first mission as a firefighter, he developed insomnia after having witnessed someone die with his own eyes. I was the one who stuck with him through those grueling times.

I gave up on my high-paying job as a translator and chose to stay at home so that I could look after the emotionally scarred James. Even so, he still blamed himself for not saving everyone from the fire.

No matter how hard I tried to counsel him, he continued to wallow in guilt and regret.

In the end, I took him hiking. When we got to the peak, we shouted together, and I said to him the very same words Monica had just said.

James had breezily shared the past between us with another woman.

"I'll do my best," James replied to Monica. Seemingly taking her advice, he took his phone out and sent me a message.

"Let's find a time to meet up and talk things through. If you get an abortion, I'll pretend like nothing ever happened. By the way, what do you want for dinner? Shall I bring you some fried chicken from the place you used to love the most?"

He was referring to a fried chicken store in the northern district of the city. While we were dating, it was the only good food James could afford to get me. To avoid hurting his self-esteem, I always smiled and told him how much I loved it. It got to a point where I even started believing it too.

Alas, even my neighbors knew that I didn't like fried food, but my own husband never realized that. Had I done too good of a job hiding it, or had James never cared to pay attention?

Well, the answer to that question didn't matter anymore.

They were still heading to the northern district when James got a call again.

"Captain Ellis, didn't you say the fire at Jasper Heights has been put out? Why are we still getting multiple calls about it? Are you sure the fire was completely extinguished?" the dispatcher questioned angrily.

All the color drained from James' face. Leaving the scene of a fire without permission when the fire was still containable was a severe offense. It could lead to an official warning, a suspension, or even termination.

"Time is of the essence. I've dispatched a fire crew over to Jasper Heights. Hurry up and head over there to help them!"

Work was far more urgent. Even though James wanted to have dinner with Monica, he had no choice but to rush back to Jasper Heights.

The fire, which hadn't been put out, had spread into a raging sea of flames before the other fire crew arrived. The windows exploded from the heat, and the glass shards scattered everywhere, emitting piercing sounds.

All of the furniture and household items had been incinerated in the fire, turning into clouds of smoke and piles of ashes.

The cries from the neighbors, the siren of the fire trucks, and the crackling sound of the flames formed the soundtrack of a tragedy.

Gregory Hanks, the station chief, had rushed over as well and harshly rebuked James for his recent poor performance.

"What on earth has been up with you lately? Many of your colleagues have mentioned that you haven't been giving your full effort! Don't you know how dangerous it is when a fire isn't completely distinguished? This fire even occurred where you live! You better reflect on yourself!"

"Captain Ellis didn't do it on purpose…"

Seeing that the man she liked was being reprimanded, Melody tried to stand up for James.

"Quiet, you! With your response time, you wouldn't even reach the scene before the victims die in the fire! Time is precious. The faster you get there, the higher your chances of saving more people!"

Gregory didn't fall for Monica's act. Already in a foul, agitated mood, he scolded both of them at once.

I let out a bittersweet chuckle as I watched the way Monica hung her head low as she got admonished.

Firefighters who didn't uphold their professional ethics were a scourge to the profession, but they didn't represent the rest of the team who dutifully rushed into the fire to save the victims.

In the end, it was confirmed that one person had died and nine more had been injured in the fire. Everyone fell silent.

Someone hauled my body out after covering it with a white cloth to preserve my dignity.

"By the time we got there, the victim was already burned beyond recognition…"

The firefighter, Derek Anderson, choked out the rest of his account. "She was burned to death. I can't imagine how painful that must've been for her. We might've been able to save her if we'd arrived sooner."

Derek was James' first mentee at work, and he was nicknamed "Derek the Deer". Despite working a dangerous job where lives were often at stake, he remained a sensitive, soft-hearted person.

I'd met Derek a few times when I took food for James. Every single time, he looked pitiful, his eyes red from crying.

Nonetheless, I knew it was a hurdle all firefighters needed to overcome. Only those brave enough to look death in the eye could save people from the clutches of death.

After hearing what Derek said, James glanced indifferently at the covered body. He couldn't see anything, but just then, a ring fell off my charred finger.

It dropped onto the ground, letting out a faint clang before rolling to a stop by James' feet.