Ashes of Love, Flames of Justice

ainst the quiet whimpers of a recovering beagle in a nearby kennel

ough the speaker,

tever you' re doi

two hours ago, but I' d stayed late to monitor a complicated p

sentation is in an hour and my backup driv

as his way. "Can' t you use the c

the biggest night of my career

rk' s career. Everything was always for Mark' s career. I called my friend and colleague, Sarah,

ng. I found Mark not in a panic, but standing on a brightly lit stage, bathed in a con

l. It' s about sacrifice. It' s about the unwavering support of your family, the people who believe in you wh

own. I saw the faces in the crowd, a sea of admiration. They were buying every word of it. They didn' t see the man who hadn' t attended a single one of our son' s doctor appointments in six

as Dr. Reed, our son Leo' s specialist. I s

ment protocol is our best option, but we need to start immediately. The hospital requires a signific

ow laughing with a group of investors, the hard drive forgotten. He was in his world, and Leo and I were not in it. In that moment, something i

man named Al, a vintage car enthusiast who had been admiring my 1967 Mustang for years. It was my father' s car, a graduation gift, my mos

g over me. As I pulled into the driveway, a bright orange notice slapped onto our front door caught the be

as a fraud alert from my bank. My credit card had been declined. Panicked,

o? I was looking for you!

voice trembling. "There' s a forec

ed venomous. "I mortgaged it. Months a

was a gift from my parents,

ou never read the fine print, do you?" he sneered. "It' s gone, Chloe. The payments defaulted. My

lastering my hair to my face. I sank

nal. "I told the bank to change the locks. You

d. The house that my parents gave us, the home where I brought my baby boy home from

is small face pale, his eyes wide with fear.

t the moving truck parked ominously at the curb, an early mornin

hey cut through my shock and revealed th

t the cold and the rain. I buried my face in his hair,

clear. "What if it was just you and me fro

ine, and gave a small, trusting nod. That was all

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