Buried In Lies, Burned by the One I Loved

When Lorenzo Clark came to my house for the ninth time and still didn’t find me, he ran into Francesca, who had just come home from school.

“Francesca, tell Uncle where your mother went.”

Ignoring her protests, Lorenzo yanked her arm hard. Her small arm quickly turned red and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I don’t know! I don’t know!”

She shook her head and tried to pull away, but he pushed her to the ground. Her knees hit the pavement hard, scraping the skin and drawing blood.

“Lorenzo! What do you think you’re doing!” My mom had just stepped into the building and rushed over to help Francesca up, having seen it all.

Lorenzo didn’t look the slightest bit guilty. Instead, he sneered.

“The illegitimate child of Yana and some other man. I’ve already gone easy by not wiping her out.”

“Murder must be repaid with a life. She left my grandmother to die in a fire and ran off. I won’t let her walk away from that.”

Lorenzo’s eyes were bloodshot like he could strangle me on the spot.

My mom’s face went pale. It took her a while before she could speak through clenched teeth.

“Yana didn’t abandon your grandmother. She just… she couldn’t get back in time.”

Lorenzo let out a bitter laugh, his anger boiling over. Then he suddenly reached out and grabbed Francesca by the throat.

“She thought she could kill someone and just vanish?”

“If Yana doesn’t show up within a week, then be ready to bury this little brat.”

I watched as Francesca’s face turned bright red from lack of air. I rushed forward, frantically hitting his arms, trying to pry his hands off her, but it was useless.

Only when her body started to go limp and her lips turned purple, did he finally release her, his expression ice cold.

Francesca’s eyes rolled back and she collapsed like a lifeless doll. My mom dropped to her knees and cradled her, her hands shaking.

“Lorenzo, are you insane?! She’s your daughter!”

But he had never cared about me. To him, I was nothing more than a stray dog, called and dismissed at his convenience. He never knew I had been pregnant. Only Grandma Ursula ever truly cared for me.

After I gave birth to Francesca, a fire broke out at the hospital. Grandma Ursula and I were trapped inside.

At the time, Lorenzo was out celebrating his childhood sweetheart’s birthday. By the time he arrived, Grandma Ursula had already died in the fire and I was gone without a trace.

I disappeared for five years. During that time, he came to our house over and over, making a scene, only to find my mom raising Francesca alone.

He convinced himself that I’d had a child with another man, then set the fire to kill Grandma Ursula before running off. In his eyes, Francesca was nothing but a “bastard.”

“What, you broke now and suddenly want the little bastard to claim her roots?”

My mom, hands trembling, pointed at him. Her voice came out rough and hoarse, “Yana is already dead. You don’t have to come back anymore.”

Lorenzo froze for a moment, then let out a loud, mocking laugh.

“You really expect me to believe a story like that? Just to help her escape justice?”

Five years ago, I had just given birth and was too weak to move. Even though Grandma Ursula had tried her hardest to push me out of danger, she couldn’t save me.

I knew I wouldn’t make it, so I used every bit of strength I had to push Francesca out. I stayed behind and died in the fire.

It wasn’t until later that I learned the fire hadn’t been an accident. It was set on purpose by Lorenzo’s beloved childhood sweetheart.

She wanted me dead. I was the only thing standing in the way of her marrying into the Clark family. But she never imagined that Grandma Ursula would die in the fire, too.

Just as Lorenzo was about to speak again, his phone rang.

On the other end, Tabitha Torres’s sickeningly sweet voice rang out, nagging him to come home.

“Lorenzo, didn’t you say you were going to celebrate Nova’s 100-day birthday? Why aren’t you back yet?”

Nova was her dog.

Lorenzo quickly muttered a few words to calm her down, then turned to shoot a nasty glare at Francesca and my mom. He mouthed, “Just wait,” and stormed off.