Even when she tried to change, to be what I wanted. She grew her hair out, bought fancy lotions, traded her sweatpants for nightgowns. She’d slip into bed beside me, softly kiss my lips. But to me, it was all an act, a clumsy imitation. Once I’d decided to leave, nothing could change my mind. I was determined to move on, to find a different life.
- 11.
Sarah’s reaction to the divorce blindsided me. I always thought she was decisive, knew what she wanted. But she wouldn’t let go. And I, once I’d made a decision, never backed down. It was how I operated, in business and in life.
Her behavior baffled me. She went to my dad, trying to turn him against me. She confronted Chloe, offering her money to leave. It was so unlike her.
We were locked in a stalemate, two stubborn bulls refusing to yield.
- 12.
At the police station, going through her
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belongings, her brother, David, found the
divorce papers. His face hardened. He lunged at me, fists flying. “You bastard!” he roared. “You son of a bitch!”
People tried to pull him off, but he was like a
wild animal. He straddled me, his blows raining down. “Don’t stop me!” he screamed. “I’m going to kill him!”
He threw the divorce papers in my face. “You divorced her right before a major operation! She loved you her whole life! Why did you have to push her like that? John, if it wasn’t for her, for that money she gave you, you wouldn’t be Mr. Big–Shot CEO! You’d be nothing!”
His voice cracked with emotion. “Yeah, you’re handsome, girls like you. But when you had nothing, who was there? Sarah! And you? You get successful and you dump her, cheat on her, flaunt your mistress! You couldn’t wait to get rid of her! Did you know she was crazy about you since you were kids? How could you do that to her? You have no conscience!”
He sobbed. “Every stupid thing she ever did,
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11:09
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47
Sarah’s colleagues watched in stunned silence. Their expressions shifted, hardened. They were thinking, He’s a hypocrite. Putting on this show now that she’s gone. He divorced her before
she died. He’s heartless.
Finally, David collapsed, exhausted. I sat up,
picked up the divorce papers, and tucked them into my pocket. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
David pointed at the door. “Get out,” he choked out. “Just get out of here and don’t come back.”
I sat on the steps outside, burying my face in my hands. I’d seen something was wrong with Sarah that day at the courthouse. She’d lost so much weight. She looked… broken. The woman who’d fought so hard against the divorce was suddenly resigned, indifferent. She barely spoke, kept checking her watch. She was on a mission, I knew it. She had to get back.
I’d wondered what had happened to her, what had caused such a drastic change. Now I knew. The officer she’d traded shifts with… he was
dond
And Carah with har foran lavalty and
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11:09
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dead. And Sarah, with her fierce loyalty and
sense of responsibility, would have blamed
herself entirely. She wouldn’t have been able to
live with it. She would have been determined to
bring down the men responsible.
And it was all my fault. If I hadn’t forced that
meeting, Mike wouldn’t be dead, and Sarah
wouldn’t have been carrying that weight.
Maybe… maybe things would have turned out
differently.
- 13.
When they slid Sarah into the crematorium, my
mind went blank. Images flashed before me:
“Sarah,” I’d asked once, “don’t you ever feel
pain?”
