"She wants Harvey dead!" Evelyn wailed, lunging again, but I dodged her. Turning to the crowd of onlookers, whose phones were already filming, she cried, "What wife would let her husband burn? She's killing him herself! She's a venomous creature!"
The murmurs grew louder. The crowd's whispers surrounded me, like ghostly accusations that I couldn't swat away. Some shook their heads in disgust; others muttered darkly, their voices blending with the rising noise of crackling fire.
Lucia stepped in front of me again, her voice trembling but loud enough for everyone to hear. "Why won't you save him? You have the card! What is wrong with you, Maya?"
There was no hatred between me and my husband. On the contrary, our relationship was quite good. We had been together since university, going from school uniforms to wedding attire. After five years together, he had always treated me well.
The reason I had been able to run the factory my parents left me so successfully was also thanks to his considerable help. I remembered the nights we spent planning, his patient voice as he broke down financial strategies for me and the way he reassured me when I doubted myself. Honestly, I was quite grateful to him. At one point, I genuinely believed he was my destined soulmate.
But now, looking back, I realize how pathetically naive I was...
More people had gathered, their murmurs filling the air like buzzing insects. Some of them, upon hearing what Evelyn and Lucia were saying, began to chime in, their voices dripping with blame and disdain.
"It's simply too dangerous," I said, my tone even. I crossed my arms, turning slightly away from Evelyn's gaze. "If I go in there, I'll die."
The words were barely out of my mouth when Evelyn erupted, "Did you hear that? Did you hear what she just said? Is she even human?"
"How can you be so heartless?" Lucia interjected, her voice trembling with both frustration and grief. She took a shaky step closer, her dark eyes shining with tears as she stared me down. "If it weren't for you insisting on getting the accounting records, would your husband have gone in? He's inside because of you, trying to retrieve those records. Now the factory is on fire, he's trapped and you're just standing here acting indifferent. Do you even have a conscience?"
Lucia's words struck the crowd like a match thrown onto dry grass. The murmurs grew louder, more accusatory.