Till Cheating Do Us Part
Sarah’s POV
I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. I was in a hospital room, surrounded by beeping machines and sterile white walls. But how did I get here? I tried to remember but my mind was completely blank.
And then, like a tidal wave, memories came crashing back. I remembered Alex’s face, his words cutting deep into my heart. “Our marriage was just a sham… you were just a means to an end for me…” I suddenly felt nauseous as I continuously remembered the pain and shock I had felt.
I recalled passing out, and now I was in the hospital. I quickly scanned my body, taking stock of the IVs and monitors attached to me. I didn’t need any of this. I was fine.
I ripped off the IVs and monitors, wincing as the adhesive pulled off my skin. Just as I was finishing up, the doctor walked in, a look of concern on his face.
“Ma’am, please, you need to–”
“I’m fine!” I yelled, cutting him off. “Leave me alone!”
I didn’t wait for him to respond. I grabbed my clothes and stormed out of the hospital room, ignoring the doctor’s calls behind me.
I hailed a taxi outside and gave the driver my address. After a few minutes of driving, we pulled up to my mansion, and I felt relieved instantly. The beautifully manicured lawns and sparkling fountain were a welcome sight after the sterile hospital.
I paid the driver and stepped out of the taxi, taking a deep breath of the cool evening air. The sound of birds chirping and the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze were soothing but they did little to calm the storm brewing inside of me.
The sound of the door echoed as I forcefully slammed it, my eyes landing on Alex and Freya entangled in each other’s arms while seated on the couch, their eyes fixed on the television before them, totally ignorant of my presence.
“Hmm hmm,” I cleared my throat lightly, drawing their attention.
“No, you didn’t just come back to my house!” Freya jumped, tucking her platinum blonde hair behind her ear.
“Hold your dog, Alex,” I warned, enclosing the distance between us.
Alex rose forcefully from the couch, landing a dirty slap on my cheek. “How dare you insult my wife?!”
I held my cheek, feeling the hotness in despair. “You slapped me?” I managed to ask in tears. Alex just slapped me. This was something he had never done to me.
“And I will slap you again if you disrespect my wife, especially before me!”
Freya snorted a laugh and made her way to the stairs, headed to the room… I think.
“Alex…”
“What are you doing here, Sarah?” Alex cut in, obviously tired of my presence
“This is my house. Why do I need to answer that?” I questioned angrily
“Because you are no longer welcome here,” Freya muffled through the envelope in her mouth, dragging a suitcase down the stairs with her two hands.
“Is that my suitcase? What are you doing with it?” I trembled, suddenly catching a whim of what was happening. “Alex, please say something,”
“Sarah…” he hesitated, noticing what seemed like concern flash through his eyes. Hold on, concern? Alex? How?
“What is happening? Talk to me!” I yelled, deciding to act ignorant of what I had just seen. I watched as she handed over the envelope to him.
“Here. This is what is happening,” he responded, stretching his hand towards me. “Have it,” he said again, urging me to acknowledge the envelope.
I hesitated but after a while I retrieved it from him, curiosity taking the best of me. I opened the envelope, pulling out the contents. My heart sank as I saw the official-looking document. Divorce papers.
It suddenly felt like the air was knocked out of me. I couldn’t breathe. The room around me began to spin, and I had to grab onto the couch to steady myself.
“No, no, no,” I whispered, my eyes scanning the papers as if hoping to find some mistake, some error that would make this all go away. But it was real. Alexander was divorcing me. Four years of marriage were being thrown away like trash. He was leaving me for that btch.
“I’m guessing you have the memo now. Please, leave my house immediately and don’t ever come back,” Alex said coldly
“Alex, no. Please don’t do this to me. Don’t divorce me. I love you and I don’t mind loving me for both of us. I don’t even mind being Freya’s co-wife.. Just don’t throw me away,”
“Look at you, begging for love. How unfortunate. I thought you had everything.. I thought with money, you can get everything you want. What happened? Why can’t you buy Alex’s heart?” Freya mocked
“Please…” I cried, going on my knees before her. I felt my ego bruised heavily but there was nothing I could do. “Talk to Alex, please. I have nowhere to go, don’t throw me away. I promise to act right,”
“Sarah, sign the divorce papers and leave this minute!” Alex’s voice echoed lightly, making me jolt. Seeing how they had clustered me, I had no other choice than to sign my unwanted freedom.
“Fine, I will,” I said, wiping away my tears while getting up from the floor. “But you have to return my properties,”
“You must be stupid to say this. Didn’t you get it when I said you were just a means to a wretched end for me? Sign the papers and get lost before I ruin your perfect life all over the media right now,”
Without further delay, I signed the paper in tears, walking away from my failed marriage and assets. Oh, had I known…
“Here’s your suitcase. I did you a favor and packed a little of your clothes but most importantly, you have your files in there just in case you’d need to get busy with your life which I doubt,” she said mockingly, rolling the suitcase over to me with her leg. I gave her a thankful look even though I was dying of anger and sadness.
She put up a finger in the air, “No need to be thankful. I only did that just so you would know that I am not as wicked, inconsiderate, rude, and unruly as you. Now, leave my house!”
I hurriedly dragged the suitcase behind me, taking a final look at my husband and the house we had shared as a couple for years. With a shattered heart, tears streamed down from my eyes uncontrollably as I walked away, to nowhere.
I sat at the bar, my suitcase by my side, feeling like the lowest of the low. I had always been a proud person, never one to ask for help. But desperation had driven me to reach out to a few of my employees, people I had always treated with disdain. It was hard to swallow my pride, but I had no other choice.
I wished I had enough money to buy a drink as I sat there, nursing my misery. Just something to take the edge off. But I was broke. Flat out broke.
I looked down at my hands, noticing how fragile they looked. My long, slender fingers were trembling slightly, a testament to my inner turmoil. I caught a whim of the glass door, noticing my eyes which was normally bright and haughty but suddenly appeared dull and lifeless. My raven-dark brown hair, usually perfectly coiffed, was now a tangled mess.
Just as I was starting to feel like I'd hit rock bottom, a young man approached me. He was handsome, with piercing deep blue eyes and chiseled features. His sandy blonde hair was messy, and his smile was warm and genuine.
“Hey, you look like you could use some help,” he said with a low and soothing voice.
I looked up at him, my pride threatening to get the better of me. But something about his kind eyes put me at ease. I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat.
“Yeah,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I could use some help,”
The young man nodded, his expression sympathetic. “My name is Spencer, by the way. What's yours?”
I hesitated for a moment before answering, wondering if he had never seen me in the news. “I'm Sarah. Sarah Steward,”
Spencer smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Nice to meet you, Sarah. Now, what's going on? You look like you've lost your last friend,”
I felt embarrased, but Spencer's kind tone put me at ease. I took a deep breath, letting my story spill out.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he softly
I gave a quick nod, hating the pity I was getting. “Than…”
“That’s okay. Let’s go home now,” he responded
Home? I thought. The only place I had ever called home was the mansion where I lived with my husband. Ex-husband, actually. And now I have to call a stranger’s place, home but then I don’t mind if it was going to bring me peace.