Jessica like that.
But, proving once again that I live in a
godd*mn soap opera, Mark immediately
jumped to her defense.
Then he slapped me.
“Sarah, what’s gotten into you? You’re acting
like a damn psycho!”
“What right do you have to hit Jessica?”
<
“What has she said that wasn’t completely
true?”
Jessica clutched her face, letting the tears
stream down her cheeks.
“Yeah, Sarah, what did I say that wasn’t
true?”
“You were the one who said you didn’t want
Lily!”
“Even if you didn’t, you could have given her
to me!”
“I’ve loved Lily like she was my own. I swear, I
truly do!”
Every word out of Jessica’s mouth made me
want to puke.
୮
“That’s bullsh*t! You’re the one who handed
my daughter to those creeps!”
“This whole thing, it’s all a setup by you,
right?”
If Mark hadn’t been holding me back, I would
have beaten her to a pulp.
But as soon as I tried to get closer, Mark
grabbed my hair and yanked me away.
“Stay away from Jessica!”
“I’ve seen how good Jessica has been to Lily
over the years!”
“I believe everything she says is the truth!”
<
My mother–in–law nodded emphatically,
looking at Jessica with concern.
“That’s right, Jessica is always around,
helping you take care of Lily, buying her
clothes and toys and candy.”
“I wish Lily could have been Jessica and
Mark’s child!”
“Unfortunately, the poor kid didn’t get a
choice. Lily got stuck with you as a mother,
you toxic b*tch!”
Watching them all rally around Jessica, I felt
hopeless.
Over the years, Jessica had really worked
hard to create this image of herself, all in the
L
She’d wormed her way into everyone’s heart,
all while pretending to be my bestie.
If my daughter was here right now, she’d
probably still call her “Auntie Jess” in that
sweet little voice of hers.
She’d gone to such great lengths to get Mark,
to make him completely forget about me.
She definitely put in work to get to this point!
“Jessica, don’t think I don’t know what you’re
after! You’re doing this to get Mark!”
“How many suggestive texts have you sent
him over the years? You think I don’t know?”
“I’ll divorce him right now! I’ll set you two up,
Mark obviously didn’t expect me to bring up
the D word first.
But, he immediately grabbed my collar and
slammed me against the wall, his eyes
furious.
“You don’t get to decide that!
“What makes you think you have the right?”
“Right now, all you deserve is to be left with
nothing. Get the hell out!”
I shoved Mark away, staring him down as I
spat out:
“You’re the one who deserves to be left with
nothing!”
notning!”
But as soon as I’d unleashed that anger,
which had been building up for two lifetimes,
my mom showed up and slapped me, too.
“Are you kidding me, Sarah? How can you act
like such a brat after all this?”
“Stop using that tone when you talk to Mark!”
My parents had gotten the call and rushed
over. They’d arrived just in time to see me
and Mark screaming at each other.
They also assumed I’d lost Lily.
So, they only felt sorry for Mark.
“Mark, Sarah didn’t mean it. Please forgive
or th
Г
“You’re married, after all. If Lily comes back,
this family can’t be torn apart.”
My dad had always cared what people
thought, but now he was groveling in front of
Mark, tears in his eyes.
Seeing him like that made me feel even
worse.
“How can I forgive her?”
“This woman disgusts me now!”
It was clear Mark had made up his mind. Just
like last time, he wanted me out of the house.
“Oh, for crying out loud, why is everything so
dramatic?”
Г
“Sarah! Get down on your knees and
apologize to Mark!”
My mom had always been impatient, and
seeing Mark so determined, she almost
jumped out of her skin.
She grabbed my arm, trying to force me to
kneel and apologize.
I yanked away.
“I said, I didn’t do it!”
“I’m not going to apologize!”
“Why doesn’t anyone believe me???”
