Burning Love

Aiden took a deep breath, his face calming. “Sorry, I had the team on an emergency mission. We got here as fast as we could, but it was a long drive.

The commander, seeing his once–proud Aiden bow his head in apology, said nothing more. He patted Aiden‘ s shoulder and instructed, “The fire is under control now. Lead the team in the cleanup and be careful.

Aiden nodded and was about to head inside when the commander noticed Ivy, who had been hiding in the car. The anger in his voice flared up again.

“Is this your ‘emergency mission‘? You ignored the people who actually needed you to playhouse with this girl? Aiden, let me remind you, and I don’t care what you do in your personal life, but this is work. Can’t you keep your drama behind closed doors? And not to pry, but aren’t you supposed to be focusing on your upcoming wedding with Elena?“.

Aiden didn’t respond, his eyes flicking back to my body. He fiddled awkwardly with the bracelet on his own wrist, muttering to himself, “It’s just a coincidence, it has to

1. be.

When I left the house, I only took a few clothes. I didn’t bring any of the jewelry he gave me. Aiden must‘ ve realized it too because his expression smoothed out, and he returned to his work.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

But maybe he forgot that those bracelets were our tokens of love. I never took mine off, not even when I died.

With Aiden’s team on the scene, the fire was quickly put out. The experts concluded that the fire started in the kitchen. They figured the homeowner must‘ ve left the stove on after cooking, the water boiled dry, and it led to a gas leak and fire.

I was confused. Ever since I moved in, I’d been living on takeout and bottled wat. I hadn’t even used the kitchen.

Aiden walked through the one–bedroom apartment. There was a long bloodstain at the entrance, dragging all the way to the living room balcony. It was the trail I left as I struggled before dying.

A pink suitcase lay open on the bedroom floor, scorched by the flames. Inside were burnt fabric scraps, likely from the little dresses I used to love wearing.

Aiden was about to take a closer look when Ivy’s scream startled him. He rushed out of the bedroom to find her standing in a pool of blood, and quickly pulled her away from the balcony.

“Why did

you follow me up here? I told you to wait in the car!”

Ivy, trying to look hurt, said, “Don’t be mad. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help!”

Leonardo, another firefighter, sneered. “Help? What are you gonna do, find another

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place to jump so we can rescue you again?” He pointed to the wide–open window and snapped, “That girl who died next to you, she fought to live. She deserved to be saved more than you!”

“Every time you waste our resources, you risk someone else‘ s life. People who really want to die find a quiet corner and leave, without making a big scene. Or, here’s an idea–why don’t you jump from here? I promise I won’t stop you.”

Aiden shielded Ivy behind him and yelled, “Leonardo, life is life, there’s no hierarchy. The fire happened after, no one could‘ ve predicted it!”

A female team member rolled her eyes at Ivy and bluntly spoke up, “Aiden, Ivy‘ s an adult. If she’s sick, she should see a doctor, and take her meds, and if she wants to end things, that’s her choice. But you‘ re a firefighter, not her therapist or her parent. You don’t have to follow her around, and you definitely shouldn’t drag us into it. If I’d known it was her, I wouldn’t have joined this mission at all!” Other team members chimed in. From what they said, I gathered that Aiden had only told them about an emergency, mobilizing the whole team without any other details. As the team captain, Aiden had the highest rank and the most experience. Following orders is second nature for firefighters. They responded without hesitation, bringing the best rescue gear.

But when they arrived, they found out that Ivy had another depressive episode and tried to jump off the building, only to get stuck halfway through. She called Aiden for help.

This wasn’t Ivy‘ s first time. She’d tried cutting her wrists, overdosing on sleeping pills, burning charcoal–each time, she‘ d stop halfway, regretting it. Everyone knew her game, except Aiden.

Whenever Ivy cried for help, Aiden never ignored her. This time, he even brought the whole team.

The female team member, who was just a rank below Aiden, took over the scene and

sidelined him.

Aiden knew he’d pissed everyone off. But he was too proud to admit he was wrong.

He glanced at Ivy, who was looking as innocent as ever, and said stiffly, “T ve reported the mission to the higher–ups. There’s no need to take it out on me.”

Seeing that everyone was ignoring him, Aiden grew even more irritated. “Ivy, let’s go home.”

As they left, Ivy stepped on a half–broken bracelet lying on the ground, grinding it under her heel. Still smiling sweetly, she said, “Brother, I’ll get anxious if I‘ m alone at home. Can you stay with me for a while?”

Aiden forced a smile and agreed. If he’d just looked down a bit longer, he would‘ ve noticed the cartoon stickers and fabric scraps from the dress I used to wear. But he walked away, holding Ivy‘ s hand, without even glancing back.

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