I clutched my phone tightly, the one that still held the photos Claire had sent me that morning.
In them, she and Ethan were wrapped around each other in front of a hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows, kissing like no one was watching.
My heart ached.
I turned to look at my daughter, sleeping soundly in the bedroom.
For a moment, I hesitated—but in the end, I made up my mind.
I was ready to give up on everything. On myself.
What I didn’t expect… was that the house would be set on fire just after I left.
Ethan finished inspecting the damage and, finding nothing useful, sneered as he tossed my disability work permit at my feet.
“You really don’t need to earn these pathetic dollars. It’s not worth the shame.”
“Enough already. If it weren’t for Claire stepping in this time, your daughter would’ve died crying. Go thank her properly. Got it?”
He pretended to help me up, putting on a show of concern, but the smug look in his eyes betrayed him.
I wiped my tears and shoved him away with all my strength.
“I don’t need your fake kindness.”
“My daughter is mine. We’re getting divorced!”
Our argument drew a crowd.
Ethan’s expression darkened, but he held his tongue—for now.
After all, Claire was still being interviewed nearby.
Gathering my things, I limped over toward Claire under the harsh flashes of media cameras.
Everyone stared, confused, whispering.
Before I could even open my mouth, she stepped forward holding my unconscious, burned daughter in her arms and smiled sweetly.
“You all don’t know yet,” she said with a soft, concerned voice, “but this is the mother who left her child alone at home and almost let her burn to death.”
“You don’t need to thank me specially. Even if the mother was negligent, as a firefighter, I was just doing my job.”
I was stunned.
This woman… how could she be so shameless?
The moment her words landed, the crowd turned on me.
“God, she actually showed up? After nearly burning her own kid to death?”
“She should just disappear! What’s the point of pretending to care now?”
“If that were my child, I’d slap myself and beg for forgiveness in front of the real hero!”
“She’s the wife of the fire chief, right? With zero fire safety awareness. What a disgrace!”
Some even started demanding I give up custody.
“Let the heroine raise her. That baby doesn’t deserve this kind of mother.”
And right there, in front of the cameras, Claire pretended to act humble.
“Please, everyone. Don’t say that. Blood is thicker than water. Even if Rachel is out partying every day and leaves her daughter home alone, she’s still the child’s biological mom.”
She even squeezed out a few fake tears and held my daughter tighter.
The poor girl was only three years old, burned and barely conscious.
Ethan stepped behind her, looking grim.
“Rachel, come here and thank her. Now.”
“She saved our daughter’s life. Even kneeling wouldn’t be too much. It’s the least you can do to redeem for what you did.”
People nodded in agreement.
The live stream camera zoomed in on my face, waiting for a dramatic display of guilt and submission.
But I only gritted my teeth and glared at the two of them.
In Claire’s arms, I saw my daughter’s eyes rolling back, she was dying.
I didn’t care about the cameras anymore. I rushed forward, desperate.
“Let go of my daughter!”
“You’re not a heroine, you don’t deserve to hold her!”
The crowd gasped. Someone stuck their foot out and tripped me.
With my bad leg already unstable, I crashed hard in front of Claire.
