Ivana stared at the lighter. He knew she was afraid of fire, any open flame triggered her deep-rooted fear.
Once, Ernest had even replaced all the stoves in their house with induction cooktops for her. For five years, her birthday cakes never had candles.
Ivana thought for a moment, fine. She'd light the candles and once everyone was singing 'Happy Birthday,' she'd tell Ernest they were breaking up. Then, she'd find an excuse to leave.
With the noise of the crowd, no one would even hear her. That way, everyone could save face.
As Ivana lit the second candle, Sydney suddenly let out a sharp scream. Everyone turned toward the source of her scream and Ivana instinctively lifted her head to look.
Just as she wondered what Sydney was shouting about, she suddenly felt a surge of heat rise sharply against her thigh.
Ivana looked down and saw that the candle she had just lit somehow fell onto the tablecloth. In an instant, flames leaped up, quickly spreading from the table to the couch.
Ernest instinctively pulled Ivana to the side, trying to get her out of harm's way.
Sydney tried to grab Ernest, but missed him and had to sprint over herself, accidentally knocking over a full bottle of whiskey.