She Left Me to Burn in the Fire for Her New Boyfriend Chapter 2

Thick, black smoke billowed from the back of the hall, rapidly swallowing the ceiling.

Panic erupted. The crowd devolved into a screaming, shoving stampede.

Instinct took over. I lunged forward, desperately reaching out for Christine.

"Christine, stay behind me! I'll get you out!"

Before my hand could even brush hers, a violent force slammed into my back. Someone intentionally shoved me hard into the chaotic crowd.

Caught entirely off guard, I crashed face-first onto the hard marble floor.

A sickening crunch echoed through the noise. White-hot agony flared in my ankle.

Seconds later, a heavy boot viciously stomped down on my calf.

The force was entirely deliberate, calculated to shatter bone.

Cold sweat instantly drenched my clothes. I lost all sensation in the lower half of my body.

Through the suffocating smoke and trampling feet, I caught a glimpse of Felix. His eyes were narrowed into dark, malicious slits, a sadistic smirk twisting the corners of his mouth.

Then, his expression completely morphed.

"Christine, my chest hurts so much! I can't breathe... I can't walk... please, you need to help Victor get up..."

Felix began to violently tremble, forcing out a pained gasp as he leaned heavily against the wall.

"Felix, what's wrong? You're terrifying me!"

Seeing him collapse, Christine forcefully slapped my reaching hand away. She threw her arms around Felix, her voice cracking with sheer panic.

"Is it another panic attack? Look at me, can you hold on?"

Blood rushed to my head. "He's faking it! How can you not see through such a pathetic act?"

"Victor, you are unbelievable! You're seriously jealous right now? People are fighting for their lives!"

Seeing Felix grow seemingly paler by the second, Christine's eyes filled with frantic tears.

"Felix is having a medical emergency. I'm getting him out of here right now!"

Her words literally froze the blood in my veins. "I think my leg is broken. I can't stand up. You're leaving me here to die for him?"

"I already called emergency services. The firefighters will be here any second."

Christine grabbed Felix's arm, completely abandoning me, and rushed toward the illuminated exit sign.

"You're not going to die waiting a few minutes. Just stay where you are!"

The acrid smoke ruthlessly choked the air out of the room. Every breath felt like inhaling shards of glass.

Combined with my severe sleep deprivation from the business trip, my vision began to rapidly blur. I used the absolute last ounce of my strength to plead with her.

"Please. I'm begging you. Don't leave me."

As they brushed past me, Christine didn't even spare me a single glance.

That was the moment I finally understood. I occupied absolutely zero space in her heart.

That was the moment my love for her permanently died.

When I finally regained consciousness, my right leg was encased in a heavy plaster cast, elevated at the end of a hospital bed.

"Victor, you're awake! Do you need a doctor?"

Harper, a colleague from the marketing department, hovered over me with genuine concern.

I had passed out from severe smoke inhalation. Harper explained that she found me unconscious on the floor and physically dragged me out of the burning building.

I thanked her softly, promising to treat her to a nice dinner once I was discharged.

The local news was playing on the small TV in the corner. The fire was caused by a catastrophic grease fire in the kitchen. Thankfully, there were no fatal casualties.

Once Harper left the room, I picked up my phone and dialed a number.

"Mr. Harrison. I've thought it over, and I'd like to accept your offer. I'm ready to join your firm next week."

A boisterous laugh boomed through the speaker. "Victor! You finally came to your senses! A man needs to prioritize his empire. I promise you'll get the absolute best compensation package our overseas branch has to offer. But what about your fiancée? You said you couldn't bear to leave her behind..."

"It doesn't matter anymore. That part of my life is over," I replied blankly.

Mr. Harrison was sharp enough not to pry.

A few minutes later, the digital employment contract landed in my inbox.

The moment I signed my name, I mindlessly opened my social media feed. The first post was a brand new update from Felix.

"Feeling under the weather, but my favorite person made me hot soup. Feeling completely spoiled and loved."

The attached photo was taken from behind. It showed Christine wearing a cute apron, diligently stirring a pot on the stove.

This time, I didn't feel a trace of anger. I just tapped the like button.

In our four years together, Christine had never once cooked a meal for me.

When I was bedridden with a severe fever, she couldn't even be bothered to order me a delivery meal.

I always justified it by telling myself she simply didn't know her way around a kitchen.

I remembered one scorching summer day, feeling incredibly bad for how stressed she was at work. I woke up at dawn, bought the freshest ingredients from the market, and spent hours cooking her a meticulously balanced lunch.

Sweating profusely under the blinding sun, I proudly delivered the food to her office.

Instead of gratitude, I walked in to find her aggressively flirting with Felix.

"Christine, I really want hot pot for lunch today."

"Patience, little boy. I'll take you out in a minute."

She laughed, playfully tracing the outline of his abs through his shirt.

But the second she noticed me standing in the doorway, her smile vanished into a dark scowl.

"Victor, I specifically told you not to bother me during business hours unless it's an absolute emergency!"

Sensing the tension, Felix casually walked over and slung an arm over my shoulder. "Want to come with us, Victor? Too bad we only made a reservation for two."

I just let out a cold laugh, set the lunchbox on her desk, and walked out.

Later that evening, I found out they took the chicken soup I spent hours brewing and dumped it in the alley to feed the stray cats.

The morning after my hospital admission, the attending doctor informed me I could be discharged the following day.

My phone suddenly buzzed violently on the nightstand. It was Christine.

"Victor, where the hell are you playing hide and seek?"

"We are officially signing the contract today. Why aren't you at the office backing Felix up? Stop throwing a tantrum!"

I answered completely truthfully. "I'm in the hospital. I barely survived that fire."

Christine scoffed loudly through the speaker. "How long are you going to keep up this pathetic act? The firefighters arrived immediately. You are perfectly fine."

"I already called around. The emergency responders didn't see you, and the staff said you walked out of the building on your own."

"Yesterday you fake a broken leg, today you fake a hospital stay. Felix is generous enough to forgive your jealousy, so I'm giving you exactly ten minutes to drag yourself back to the office."

I slowly peeled a tangerine my hospital roommate had given me.

"Felix is such a charismatic prodigy, isn't he? You trust him enough to hand him my project, so I'm sure he can handle a simple signature."

"The foreign investors specifically requested you to be present! You need to get here right now! If you ruin this deal, don't bother coming back to work ever again!"

I popped a slice of the tangerine into my mouth.

"As you wish. Consider this my official resignation."