Second choice

After ten long years of painstaking work, I finally restored an ancient, crumbling building to its former glory.

But before I could even celebrate, a cascade of fireworks lit up the sky, and a single stray spark set my masterpiece ablaze.

I barely escaped with my life. When I ran to my boyfriend, Adrian Croft, begging him to check the security footage, I saw him stepping off a helicopter with his childhood sweetheart, his face alight with joy.

"Aria," he said, "aren't the fireworks beautiful?