“Ann, What do you mean? What are you talking about?’ Mr. Blackwood asked in confusion. He was still trying to get a hang of what she was saying? How does he fit into any of this?
“Don’t pretend with me, you did this, didn’t you? You set my house on fire!” she blatantly accused.
Mr. Blackwood was shocked and completely lost. “What? Why would you even think that?” he queried, the surprise written all over his place, he had not seen this coming.
“Because it is obvious, you invite me out for dinner and coincidentally my house is on fire, no electric malfunctions, no lit fires inside but a raging fire suddenly breaks out at my apartment while I am away. Admit you did this in your desperation to have me come back to you.” She fired at him.
“Anna, that is a very foolish thing to think, let alone say it out loud. I would never do something like that, is this really what you think of me?” Maxwell uttered the disappointment very audibly in his tone.
“Don’t try to gaslight me, we both know you would stop at nothing to get what you want. How could you do this Max? Did you think by taking everything from me, I will come running back into your arms? You had no right to do this, your actions disgust me!” she yelled in tears.
“Okay, take a deep breath Ann, calm down. You are not thinking straight right now.” Maxwell urged softly, his eyes pleading along.
“No! Do not ask me to calm down, don’t you dare! I cannot believe that you would do this. I hate you!!” she yelled as she hit him on the chest.
Mr. Blackwood grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Anna!” He yelled. “You need to put yourself together. I know this is painful but you need to stop, I did not give instructions for your house to be burnt down, even if it meant having you over in my house, I would never do something like that to you. I don’t know why you have been acting off the past few weeks but you used to be smarter than this, what is going on with you?” MB yelled, beginning to get irritated by her behavior.
“You are right, I have been so dumb lately that I am not able to see through your lies!” Anna retorted, not willing to give in to his claims of innocence. She had already made up her mind that it was his plan all along, that is why he invited her over right away.
The fact that he was wealthy enough to buy hundreds of these houses didn’t give him the right to burn it down just to score a point.
“That is not the case, you have been acting very weird lately, sometimes like an entirely different person, you should check up with your doctor…”
“Oh ha! So I am insane huh? Of course, I am the crazy one here. You have done enough, you should get out of here now, go away!” she yelled at him.
Mr. Blackwood rubbed his temple and groaned, what is happening? They were just having a beautiful evening before all of this? Who was behind the fire and why? Was Anna okay?
“Anna, just relax. Alright, look… I am sorry for the things I said, just come with me to my house, you need rest and I promise you will feel better after a good sleep.” He offered.
“Thank you for your kind offer,” she blurted sarcastically. “But I don’t want anything from you ever again, just leave me alone.”
“What do you mean? I can’t leave you! Your house is burned down, where are you going to sleep?” he asked with genuine concern.
“That is none of your business, I will be spending the night with people who genuinely care about my well-being. Let’s hope fire doesn’t mysteriously burn that place down as well.” she scoffed and turned away from him.
Mr. Blackwood sighed, not knowing what to do or say. He was trying his best to be understanding but he couldn’t understand why she was being this way.
“Alright then,” he said softly, holding back the flood gates as emotions surged within him. “Just be fine.”
Anna didn’t respond to him, she just opened her phone with tears still rolling down her eyes and then she booked a cab. The taxi arrived shortly after and MB stood there as he watched her drive off.
Annabel broke down in tears as the taxi took off, wondering why all this was happening to her. She was hoping that Jenny had arrived home or she might end up sleeping on the streets.
Mr. Blackwood stood there, rooted to the spot, the cold wind whipping at his face, carrying with it the faint, acrid scent of smoke and charred wood.
Turning back, his gaze fell upon the skeletal remains of what was once Anna’s home. The fire, though extinguished by the tireless efforts of the firemen, still held onto its rage, radiating heat in waves that licked his skin.
In the pale moonlight, the house stood like a mournful monument, its walls reduced to blackened ribs reaching towards the star-dusted sky. Where plush armchairs had stood, only twisted springs and smoldering ashes remained. He could almost hear the crackling of flames; smell the desperate smoke that had consumed this place.
Mr. Blackwood sighed and turned back towards the neighbor’s building. Something was wrong, it seemed like the fire had broken out from the outside, which means someone had to know something about it.
Slowly he walked back to his car and drove off. On his way home, Mr. Blackwood wondered if to try and convince Anna to either see a therapist or a psychiatrist because she clearly needed one of them.
Why has she been acting out lately? What was going on with her? Was there something that she wasn’t telling him?
As he arrived at his estate, Maxwell drove past a lady on the road, close to the gates and she looked familiar to him, but he didn’t give her much attention, he was too lost in thought for that.
He parked the car and headed straight to his bedroom. When he was inside, he immediately dialed his private Investigator and assigned him the job of finding out how the fire started. Maxwell had a feeling that someone had set that fire, so now he needed to find the culprit in order to clear his name of the accusation.
TBC!!