Chapter 4

Down the dirt road, the tail lights of Travis's car suddenly stopped.

Hope flared in my chest. They saw it!

Even if they couldn't hear my screams, the towering flames in the dead of night were impossible to miss.

I thought they were turning back to save me.

The next second, the brake lights went off. The engine roared, and the car accelerated away.

Until the lights vanished entirely.

My mind went dead silent.

They saw the fire. They knew I was trapped inside. And they drove away.

Did they really want me dead?

I stood trapped by the barred window, hopeless. Flames licked at my ankles, and the blistering heat sucked every drop of oxygen from the air.

Was I going to burn alive on Christmas night?

Why were my parents so cruel? Did they never love me, not even for a single second?

I would never know the answer.

As the blazing ceiling began to collapse toward my face, I closed my eyes in surrender.

"SMASH!"

The iron bars were torn free with a deafening screech.

A pair of strong arms reached through the smoke, pulling me out into the crisp night air.

When I opened my tear-streaked eyes, I saw my husband, Ethan.

He carried me beneath an old oak tree, his face pale with terror as his hands checked me for burns.

"Serena! Are you hurt?!"

"I got your text saying you were heading to the cabin. I drove out to pick you up after dinner."

"When I reached the village entrance, I saw the smoke. And I saw your brother's car speeding out like a bat out of hell! What the hell happened?!"

Before I could answer, shouting broke out. Neighbors from nearby farmhouses came running with hoses and buckets, frantically fighting the blaze.

Watching strangers rush into danger to put out a fire, a sob choked in my throat.

Total strangers risked their lives to save me.

Yet my own flesh and blood watched the cabin ignite and floored the gas pedal.

The last thread of familial affection inside me snapped clean in two.

When the fire was finally doused, an older neighbor jogged over, panting.

"Ma'am, what happened here? Was it faulty wiring? The wood was bone dry..."

I took a deep, trembling breath. Looking at the crowd, I spoke with chilling clarity.

"It wasn't an accident."

"It was attempted murder."

"Please, call the police."