My Last Plea Was His Worst Mistake Chapter 09

My Last Plea Was His Worst Mistake Chapter 09

On the day of the fire accountability hearing, Ethan sat in the very front row.

His uniform collar was buttoned all the way up, tight against his throat.

The uniform that had once filled him with pride now felt like a noose.

Chloe sat on the other side, bare-faced, her eyes swollen and red from crying.

Every time the cameras zeroed in on her, she’d bow her head and break into quiet, trembling sobs.

“I really didn’t know Luna was in there.”

“I just trusted Ethan too much.”

She projected a series of text messages onto the large screen.

[Luna’s making a scene again.]

[Just ignore her.]

[She’s great at playing the victim.]

[Chloe, don’t bother with her. She’s just jealous.]

Murmurs rippled through the audience.

Every word on that screen had come from Ethan.

Every single word was a fair and accurate reflection of his own words.

Chloe turned her tear-streaked face toward him.

“Ethan, you told me not to be afraid. You said she wouldn’t really get hurt. You can’t put all the blame on me now.”

Ethan didn’t defend himself.

Wyatt stood up.

“I move to admit and play the complete official fire scene reconstruction footage into evidence.”

The screen went dark.

Then the thermal imaging appeared.

Behind the east wing storage room door, a red human-shaped figure kept pounding.

Thirty-six feet away, a heat signature labeled with Ethan’s ID stood still.

The timer ticked.

Seven seconds.

Eight seconds.

Nine seconds.

Then the radio recording played.

“Secure the east wing fire barrier.”

“Redirect all search teams to the west wing.”

Dead silence filled the room.

Then my call recording came on.

“Ethan… save me…”

“There’s a child…”

“I wasn’t lying…”

The screen switched to the little boy from the ventilation shaft, sitting in a hospital bed, his face still wrapped in gauze.

His voice was small but clear.

“She gave me her towel. She said the rescue team would come. She said the Chief promised to always save people first.”

The boy paused. Tears seeped out from under his bandages.

“She kept calling for the Chief. But he never came.”

Chloe suddenly shot up with a scream.

“That’s not true! Luna wanted to destroy me!”

Wyatt held up the silver bell bracelet—now taken apart.

Inside one of the bells was a tiny GPS tracker.

The logs showed Chloe had been following me for twenty-seven straight days.

On the day of the fire, she followed me into the mall basement.

She was not merely passing through, nor had she gotten lost. Every part of this was premeditated.

The arson investigator submitted the accelerant report.

Chloe’s purchase records for the accelerant were also projected on the screen.

She couldn’t speak anymore.

She lunged for the bracelet like a wild animal.

“Give that back! Ethan gave that to me!”

She only made it two steps before being forced back into her seat.

Her skirt was twisted, her hair falling loose—every trace of her delicate act gone.

Ethan finally stood.

He walked over to her and took the bracelet.

Chloe looked up at him like he was her last lifeline.

“Ethan, help me. You always cared about me the most. You said you’d never let anyone hurt me.”

Ethan looked at her.

Then, in front of everyone, he smashed the bracelet against the floor.

The bells shattered, metal pieces scattering everywhere.

Chloe’s face crumbled completely.

“Ethan!”

His voice was low and heavy.

“You weaponized a gift I gave you to stalk her, and your actions led directly to her death.”

Chloe laughed through her tears.

“And what about you?

If you hadn’t taken my side every single time, would she have given up trying to explain herself?

If you hadn’t hung up on her, would she be dead?

She waited for you in the end. And you never came.”

Ethan staggered, gripping the table to keep from falling.

The hearing officer looked at him.

“Ethan Carter—as the incident commander on scene, was your decision based on the actual fire conditions, or on Chloe Bennett’s word alone?”

Ethan’s throat moved as he struggled to swallow.

The officer continued.

“This wasn’t a simple mistake. You let personal feelings cloud your judgment on a fire scene.”

Ethan looked up at the screen.

On the thermal footage, that red figure was still pounding on the door.

Thirty-six feet.

He’d been only thirty-six feet away.

After a long silence, he forced out a hoarse reply.

“It was my fault.”

After the hearing, Chloe was taken into custody.

Ethan was suspended pending investigation.

Reporters shoved cameras in his face.

“Chief Carter, do you admit that personal feelings caused you to ignore a victim’s calls for help?”

“Is there anything you want to say to Ms. Moore?”

Rain dripped down his brow.

He opened his mouth—but no words came out.

Wyatt walked over and handed him a flash drive.

“This was recovered from Luna’s studio computer. The last video she left for you.”