The soft lapping of the pool water was the only other sound left in the universe.

The silence of the crowd was no longer born of shock; it had morphed into the solemn stillness of a jury listening to a terrible testimony they knew was true.

“When I finally threw my weight against the door and force it open, the edges of your crib were already catching fire,” I said, the memory returning with painful clarity behind my retinas. I could almost smell the burning plastic again.

“So, I did exactly what a big sister is supposed to do. I threw my seven-year-old body over your blazing crib. I let the melting plastic of your hanging mobile and the burning wood of the collapsing ceiling rafters burn into my own flesh.

I held you firmly underneath my chest, screaming in unbearable pain, ensuring that your unmarked skin would never feel a touch of the flames.”