I turned and left. Guilt–ridden, Mark gave me everything his savings, the condo proceeds. (double what we’d paid, thanks to the booming market). I accepted it all without hesitation. He offered me company shares. but I refused in
<
10:03
agreed on everything, except Sarah didn’t.
She showed up at my hotel, screaming about how dare I take his money, calling me a gold digger, a disgrace. I could handle insults
directed at me, not my parents. I calmly walked towards her and pulled out my phone. I’d
installed security cameras in the condo,
something even Mark didn’t know. I played the footage of their trysts, Sarah’s breathy cries of “Oh, Mark!” echoing through the lobby. I waited for the crowd to get their fill before putting my phone away. “I was going to be nice, but you
asked for this. Mark cheated. He should be
grateful I didn’t take him for everything.” The
whispers around her were deafening. She
screamed and ran.
That night, Mark texted an apology. I didn’t
reply. Later, another text. “Sarah fell. She lost
the baby. Karma, I guess.” I scoffed. It was karma. But it didn’t bring back my child. Their child. It wasn’t the same.
With the baby gone, so was the wedding. Saran
went crazy, disrupting Mark’s meetings,
screaming, crying. Clients backed out. His
company’s stock plummeted. He was a wreck.
The day before our divorce was finalized, Mark
showed up with a pot of shrimp and vermicelli
stir–fry. I’d just had a burger. “Claire–Bear, I’m
so sorry.”
He lit a cigarette. He’d never smoked before. I
hated the smell and wrinkled my nose. He
quickly put it out. “Mark, there’s no going
back.”
He searched my face for a flicker of hope. I blocked the doorway. “Go home, Mark. Get some rest. I’ll see you at the courthouse.
tomorrow.” I started to close the door.
He grabbed the frame, eyes bloodshot. “Please, Claire. When you lost the baby, I… I couldn’t
face you.”
“So you ran to Sarah’s bed?”
“No! It wasn’t like that! Let me explain…”
It didn’t matter anymore. “No one forced you. Be a man and take responsibility.”
He sank to the floor, clutching his head. “I only ever loved you. But when Sarah came back, she was… different. I was drawn to her, but I felt guilty. I told myself it was just a brother–sister thing. But when she was around, looking at me with such… adoration… I liked it. You… your were always so independent, so strong. I never saw that look in your eyes.”
“I was confused, but I never meant for any of this to happen…” He was still making excuses. I’d never looked at him with “adoration.” My love wasn’t about putting him on a pedestal. It was about equality.
<
“She… she put on your pajamas that night. She
looked like you. And then… everything just
happened. I’m so sorry, Claire. I messed up.”
