Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
But the grief swelling in her chest eventually broke her down. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She to sob, quietly at first, then with a pain so raw it filled the room.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing her cry like that felt like a knife twisting in James’s chest.
He quickly set the plates down and stepped forward, gently wrapping her in his arms.
“Charles is dead…”
Lily knew she shouldn’t seek comfort in James’s embrace anymore.
But the image of Charles holding Sharon’s ashes, lifeless and still, was too much for her. She couldn’t bear it. She threw herself into James’s arms and let her tears fall freely.
James froze for a second.
Earlier today, Ashton had reported that Susie had been brutally killed. He hadn’t known Charles was dead too.
From what Ashton said, it was Charles who had killed Susie. James had felt regret-for Charles.
Because killing someone meant paying with your own life. Even if Susie deserved it, Charles had broken the law and would’ve faced punishment.
Still, James understood him.
If he were Charles, he would’ve done the same.
He didn’t want Lily to stay stuck in her grief. Gently patting her back, he spoke in a soft, reassuring voice.
“Lily, don’t cry. From what I’ve heard, these past six years, Charles may have built a successful business, but he never lived well. He worked so hard, made so much money, rose so high-just to gain the power to find Sharon sooner. We may feel sorry he’s gone, but maybe for him, this was closure. He finally gets to be with Sharon.”
He paused.
James had never believed in ghosts or souls before. But after meeting Lily, he wanted to believe. He hoped souls were real. He hoped there was a/next life.
“Maybe… maybe they’ve already reunited in the afterlife. This life was too cruel for them. But in the next, they’ll find happiness. They’ll grow old together.”
“Yes. They will reunite.” Hoping Charles and Sharon wouldn’t have to suffer any longer, Lily wanted to believe in souls, in fate-that loyers torn apart in life would find their way back to each other.
But she was torn.
She told herself souls existed. That love would find a way. But deep down, she also feared that death was simply… the end.
She still couldn’t stop grieving for Charles and Sharon.
James felt the growing dampness on his chest and his heart ached for her. Clumsily, he tried to steer the conversation away.
“Lily, something happened to the Ginger family last night.”
Sure enough, those words made her lift her tear-streaked face. Her crying paused.
Seeing her waiting for more, James continued quickly.
“Late last night, Mathilda’s room caught fire. I think Charles set it.”
“But unfortunately, Mathilda only suffered a few minor burns.”
“Luna, though… she was burned badly. That giant crystal portrait in Mathilda’s room fell and crushed her. She landed in the middle of the fire. Her skin was scorched. She has third-degree burns. Her face is unrecognizable. There’s barely any unburned skin left. She hasn’t even woken up yet.”
–
When James told her that Luna had been burned, Lily felt a sharp, uncontrollable pain rip through her chest.
But once the pain faded, all that was left was numbness.
There was a time she had truly adored and clung to Luna.
She had been grateful the Ginger family adopted her, saving her from a life of hunger and beatings in the orphanage.
She used to hope the Ginger family would find Mathilda soon, so they could all be reunited and live in harmony.
She even thought that once Mathilda returned, she would treat her like a real sister-be incredibly kind to her.
But after Mathilda came back, what awaited her was endless torment and abuse.
At first, when she was forced to grovel before Mathilda, she still held a sliver of hope for her adoptive parents and brothers.
Twelve years living under the same roof-even a dog would have bonded with them by now. And she hadn’t done anything wrong. There was no reason the Ginger family should hate her like that.
But when Luna, Jerome, and the others angrily accused her of stealing the life that should have belonged to Mathilda-as if all the suffering Mathilda had endured was her fault-she finally gave up all illusions about her adoptive parents and brothers.
Especially when their so-called discipline became more and more twisted. She just wanted to escape that suffocating, loveless house.
This wasn’t even the first fire the Ginger family had experienced.
When she was fourteen, the men of the family had all gone back to the old house, and Luna had given the servants the day off. It was just the two of them at home.
That night, for reasons still unknown, Luna’s room caught fire.
A beam hit Luna’s head, knocking her unconscious.
Lily had gone downstairs for water when she smelled smoke. Realizing the master bedroom was on fire, she burst into tears and rushed inside, not caring that the flames could swallow her whole. She summoned every ounce of strength she had to carry the unconscious Luna out.
Thankfully, neither of them was seriously hurt that time-no permanent scars.
Funny how it worked. Eight years ago, she’d risked her life to save Luna from a burning house. And last night, Luna threw herself into a fire to save her precious biological daughter.
But in Lily’s heart, Luna had stopped being her mother a long time ago. Whether she got burned or how badly-it had nothing to do with her anymore.
“She made her choice.”
Still curled up in his arms. Lily spoke softly, like in a dream. “She saved her precious daughter. Even if she’s badly burned, I’m sure she’s happy.”
“Yeah.”
James had heard the story about how Lily carried Luna out of the fire.
The Ginger family may have raised her, but she had saved Luna’s life. She didn’t owe them a damn thing.
Thinking about how those idiots kept hurting her again and again because of Mathilda’s lies made him furious and heartbroken.
Seeing her still upset over Charles and Sharon, instinctively seeking comfort in his embrace, he couldn’t help but hold her tighter-gently, but with a touch of desperation.
After a long pause, he spoke again in a low voice. “Luna got burned-that’s her own damn fault. The only real pity is that the fire last night didn’t take Mathilda with it.”
“After you gave me those four paintings, Ashton identified them. It won’t be long before he helps the police bring them in. This whole thing is tied to Mathilda. I’ll make sure they cough her up. She’ll pay.”
“Mathilda deserves to die…” Lily croaked.
She couldn’t stop thinking about five years ago-how Mathilda’s betrayal had led to Sharon and Jenn’s capture. If not for that, they would’ve escaped. Sharon wouldn’t have died in despair, Charles wouldn’t have followed her in death… They still would’ve had a future.
Lily hated Mathilda with every fiber of her being.
“She should’ve died in Sharon’s place…”
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the door to the hospital room was kicked open.
The three Ginger brothers stormed in, furious.
Trailing behind them was Mathilda, head lowered, eyes filled with dark and twisted emotions.
The moment James saw those lunatics, the last trace of gentleness vanished from his face. His expression turned cold as ice.
He couldn’t believe it-Luna had been badly burned, and instead of staying by her side, they came here to torment Lily.
He gently released Lily, then looked at Bodger and the others with pure contempt.
“Get out.”
The three brothers had also heard about Lily’s abduction.
Imagining the pain she’d endured made their chests ache.
But Mathilda had cried and said Luna got trapped under that giant crystal portrait because she saw a certain hair clip on the vanity.
That pair of diamond cat clips had been Lily’s eighth birthday gift-from Luna.
After Mathilda returned, she snatched the cat-shaped hair clips from Lily.
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