I was sending Mina away and I knew that it was for the best.

I was tired of letting a third party interfere in my marriage. Mina had been my best friend before we briefly dated. We eventually realised we couldn’t make a relationship work, but that never meant I stopped caring about her.

When she returned, a part of me foolishly wondered if the feelings I’d once had were still there. Maybe I had mistaken the familiarity of our past for something more.

Then the fire happened.

Apart from the fact that I promised to always protect her, seeing her almost die reminded me of my father and the...