Page 15 of Burning Desire

“Why would she do this?” I ask, needing to know.

My heart breaks for the woman I love, knowing this is going to wreck her world. But I also feel sad for the girl I used to love. The Aurora I knew would never have done anything like this. Clearly, I never really knew her.

“After the divorce, she got pregnant,” Derick says softly. “She lost the baby before we could tell anyone. The doctors had to take her womb to save her life, and she hasn’t been the same since.” He shakes his head as he stares at me with tears in his eyes. “This is my fault. I knew she wasn’t okay, but I didn’t want to pressure her. Look where that got us.”

I stare at him in shock. I feel sorry for them both and I can honestly say it’s not an emotion I ever thought I would feel toward either of them.

“I’ll talk to Harmony,” I say. “But it’s still her choice.”

Turning away from him, I make my way outside where Detective Conrad is sitting on a bench under a tree, smoking a cigarette.

“I doubt Harmony will press charges.”

“Just bring her by to sign the paperwork in the next day or so and it will all be over,” he replies.

“Thanks for the help.” I nod before heading back to work.

****

Harmony

The moment he walks in, I know something is very wrong. He looks like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. I hope nothing bad happened during his shift. Sometimes, the work can take its toll on him. It’s not easy to save lives, but I think it’s harder when you can’t save someone.

“Hey…” I wave from behind the kitchen counter where I am waiting on the stove timer.

The entire house smells like cookies. I bake when I’m bored. Or stressed. Or angry. Or happy. Sue me. And with all the baking I’ve been doing, Draven has been bringing tons of goodies to work with him.

He smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. I don’t get the chance to ask what’s wrong before he has me tightly wrapped in his arms. He inhales my scent, holding me for what feels like forever before the oven timer goes off, and he lets me go.

Draven sits at the counter and watches me as I take the tray of cookies out and place them on the cooling rack.

“We need to talk,” he finally says, and I feel like I am dying inside.

“You do know that is the most hated sentence in the English language, right?” I try to lighten the mood before what will surely be a painful conversation.

It takes him a minute but when it finally dawns on him what I meant, he looks horrified.

“No. Babe, come sit. This isn’t a conversation about us. It’s about the fire.”

I want to feel relieved, but he looks so sad that I can’t. I sit in the chair facing him and wait patiently as he tries to figure out a way to give me unwelcome news without hurting me.

“Do we need to have the Band-Aid conversation again?” I ask, only half joking.

“Aurora set the fire.”

Band-Aid ripped off, and it took some skin with it.

“Excuse me?” I ask way too loudly.

“I went down to the station to get an update only to be told she had already confessed.”

“My sister burned down my business and my home with me in it?” My stomach roils with nausea. I feel like I am stuck in the damn twilight zone. “Why would she do that?”

“Derick says she hasn’t been the same since she lost the baby.”

“Baby? What baby?” I’m yelling now.

My entire life has just been thrown off its axis and nothing is making sense anymore. Aurora would have told me if she was pregnant. Wouldn’t she?

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