I Saved You from the Fire, but You Called Her Your Hero

The fifth time Grant Hawthorne threatened to kill himself because he couldn't see Blythe Mercer, I finally agreed to bring Blythe back to the company. Grant, who had been about to slit his wrist, froze. "You went to all that trouble to drive her away, and now you're willing to let her come back as my assistant?" I pressed a finger to the needle mark left after I'd just donated blood to him. I'd given so much that the skin around it had bruised, like the love between us that had been blocked and festering for three years. "I can't exactly stand by and watch you die, can I?" For the first time in ages, light flickered in Grant's eyes. "Thank you... During that hotel fire, Blythe and I were the only ones trapped inside. She saved me. "I promise that as soon as my claustrophobia gets better, I'll send her away and devote myself to our marriage." It was the third time Grant had thanked me. The first was for agreeing to marry him. The second was for risking my life to give him a child. The third was for returning Blythe—the woman who had crawled into his bed—to his side. But he had never thanked me for giving him my only chance of escape in that fire. From today on, his savior was back. And it was time I took my life back too. When I lowered my eyes and said nothing, Grant's expression gradually grew complicated. He picked up his phone and held it out to me. "I wanted to surprise you on your birthday, but I was afraid you'd get the wrong idea, so I thought I'd show you now. "Honey, you're the only one in my heart. I could say it a thousand times and it would still be true." On the screen was a jewelry designer's draft of a ring. My name and the date Grant and I had first met were engraved inside the band. It had already been 10 years. Grant watched me with a cautious hope, stubbornly waiting for an answer. I nodded and said I hadn't gotten the wrong idea, but my nose still stung. Ever since the fire three years ago, he had constantly explained that there was nothing between him and Blythe. He hadn't been like that before. Grant had always owned what he'd done. If he hadn't done something, he couldn't be bothered to defend himself. He firmly believed that innocence spoke for itself. So I no longer knew whether he was trying to convince me or himself. My mother-in-law, Lenora Vale, called. I suppressed my emotions and walked out of the hospital room just as Blythe came hurrying over. She gave me an aggrieved look, then pushed through the door. Through the half-open doorway, I saw Grant ignore the IV in his hand and smooth down his disheveled hair. "You're here... How have you been? I tried so many ways to reach you. I finally found you." His words brushed my ears like an itch, sharp and grating. I answered the call and left without another glance. "Maren Ellis, have you lost your mind? Blythe dared to climb into Grant's bed three years ago, and she even took credit for saving him..." My back hit the cold wall, and I shuddered. Grant didn't know that I had been in that fire too. I'd been close to the exit, but a fallen sculpture had pinned me down. The firefighters found me first and urged me to evacuate with them. I clung to them and begged them to go inside and save Grant first. I thought that since I was close to the exit, there would still be time to rescue me afterward. Then I saw Grant being helped out, with a half-dressed Blythe following behind him. A firefighter who didn't know the circumstances said they'd been clinging to each other in bed and must have been madly in love. I tried to call out to Grant, but part of the ceiling crashed onto the sculpture pinning my legs. Dust billowed up and swallowed every cry for help. Before I lost consciousness, I thought I saw Grant turn and kiss Blythe. His eyes held the tender relief of someone finally reunited with what he treasured most. After that day, Lenora fired Blythe and strictly forbade Grant from contacting her. But Grant developed claustrophobia. He was afraid of the dark, afraid of enclosed spaces, and even more terrified when he couldn't see Blythe... "I finally paid her off and got rid of her. Now you're bringing her back to challenge your place in the family?" I interrupted Lenora's exasperated lecture. "I want to leave. Take me to Millhaven. Hawthorne Group's in such bad shape that the title of Mrs. Hawthorne isn't worth much anyway." After years of working at the company, I knew exactly how desperately Hawthorne Group was hanging on. So I didn't want to keep forcing myself to endure for Grant's sake. Lenora chuckled. "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. I stopped caring about this mess of a company after Grant's father killed himself for another woman. "Grant is even more foolish than his father. He nearly ruined Hawthorne Group before I could put my plan into action." She skipped the pleasantries and made her offer. "Bring your team with you and help me build Vale Group. Leave this empty shell to my 'wonderful' son to play with." I gave a soft laugh, and the tears I'd held back finally slid down my face. "All right. But first, I need a divorce."