Windows shattered.
Black smoke rolled out of Lisa’s room.
Shards of glass and burnt debris rained down.
Tom watched, the blood in his veins turning
to ice.
“No, no way, Lisa wouldn’t leave me. She
wouldn’t die…”
He tried to run into the mansion, but the
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Dutier neja nim back. Sir, Calm OWN! YOU II
die if you go in there now!”
“The firefighters found dozens of gas cans in
your wife’s room. It could explode again at
any moment.”
Tom’s eyes burned red.
Gas cans!
Why were there gas cans in Lisa’s room?
He remembered smelling something in her
room, but ignored it.
Pain washed over him, and he fell to his
knees, finally understanding what it meant to
be truly desperate.
Mom showed up and seeing the mansion in
Mom showed up, and seeing the mansion in flames, she went numb.
She grabbed a firefighter. “My daughter! She
lives in that house! Is she out? She has
medical issues, she needs my help, please tell
me where she is, I need to see her.”
The firefighter sighed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. The fire started in Miss’s Baker’s room, and found
multiple gas cans. I am very sorry.”
“No!” Mom shouted, tears streaming down
her face. “My daughter is fine! It’s her
wedding day! She wouldn’t do this! I just saw
her this morning!”
She started hitting Tom.
L
“It’s your fault! Why did you lock Lisa in that
room? She’s scared of fire! She would not
light herself on fire. Give me my Lisa back!
Get her out of that house!”
Tom didn’t say a word.
People tried to stop her, but Mom broke
down.
Tom stared at the fire.
He realized how scared Lisa was of fire.
She would never light herself on fire.
How was she supposed to take the gasoline
into the room.
A firefighter handed him a tape recorder. “Mr.
Baker, we found this in your wife’s room, on
the nightstand. I think she wanted to talk to you, see if you can get anything.”
Tom thanked the firefighter.
He pressed play, and his strength left him.
Tom and Mom’s voices, talking outside of the
surgery.
They were talking about giving her the mind
altering drugs.
The last was the reason he had to get her
out.
Tom squeezed the recorder, his heart
breaking.
Lisa knew everything.
He had cut her with a knife again, and again.
Lisa loved him, what was he doing to her.
That girl, he broke her again and again.