If the babies were a raw, open wound in my
heart, then my mom was a thorn embedded
deep inside.
Sarah’s mom destroyed my parents‘ marriage,
<
and my mom battled depression, eventually
jumping off a building.
Sarah had no right to bring her up.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I slapped her across her smug face.
The crack of my hand echoed in the hallway,
knocking her head to the side.
Sarah just stared, speechless, clutching her
cheek.
After a long silence, she finally reacted.
“You hit me?”
“Damn right I did,” I said, my voice icy.
Seeing the hatred in my eyes, Sarah flinched,
but she didn’t dare say anything.
Suddenly, her anger vanished, replaced by
tears streaming down her face as she
clutched her swollen cheek, looking at me
with hurt in her eyes:
“Claire, why would you hit me?”
She had switched her attitude so quickly.
“Claire!”
Jake’s voice was filled with rage.
I scoffed. Figures.
Jake rushed over, gently checking Sarah for
injuries, his eyes full of concern.
く
Sarah’s tears flowed even harder.
“Jake, don’t be mad at Claire, it’s my fault, I
shouldn’t have upset her.”
She was so good at pretending to be
helpless, just like her mom.
Hearing this, Jake’s anger grew, his eyes
turning on me like cold steel.
“Apologize.”
His voice was so harsh, each word hit me like
a hammer blow.
This version of Jake was a stranger.
It was like I didn’t even know him.
<
But I knew that this was the real Jake, that all
his tenderness and affection had been an act.
Sarah hid behind Jake, looking at me with a
smug smile in her eyes.
“She should be apologizing to me,” I snapped,
facing the man in front of me.
“You were the one who hit her, Claire.”
“How did you become so cruel? You know
Sarah just had surgery, she can’t handle
anything like this.”
Jake looked at me with complete
disappointment.
6
く
“She deserved it. You only saw me hit her,
you didn’t ask why. If it wasn’t for…”
“Enough!” Before I could finish, Jake’s hand
crashed across my face.
My cheek burned, and I tasted blood. My ears
were ringing.
He’d put all his force into that slap.
“Claire…”
Jake was stunned by what he’d done.
After a few seconds, regret flickered in his
eyes, and he reached out to check on me.
But when I saw what he was trying to do, I
instinctively flinched back.
I glared at Jake, refusing to cry.
His slap had shattered the last of my feelings
for him.
Jake froze, his hand in mid–air.
Sarah had been enjoying the show, but when
she saw the regret in Jake’s eyes, a sly look
crossed her face.
“Oof…” She doubled over, clutching her
stomach and moaning.
That moan got Jake’s attention.
“Jake…” Sarah sounded weak as she
collapsed into his arms.
Jake panicked.
“Think about what you’ve done,” he said,
before scooping Sarah into his arms and
running toward the emergency room.
He didn’t notice Sarah give me a triumphant
grin.
“You lost,” she mouthed.
Yeah.
I lost, big time.
But so what?
The second I found out Jake had lied to me, I
decided I was done with him.
ᄀ
Back at the house, I started packing.
I put anything important in my suitcase,
tossing everything else in the trash.
