09 | Breaking Point

Sarah’s POV

He didn’t look like my husband anymore. He looked like a mean stranger who was trying to catch me in a lie. He stood there holding Lily, but his eyes were fixed on my hand. My fingers were squeezed tight around the blue piece of paper.

"What is that, Sarah?" he asked, his voice very low. It was the kind of low voice he used right before he started shouting.

"It is nothing, Sean," I said, trying to make my voice sound normal, but it shook. "It is just a piece of trash. Lily found it on the floor."

At that moment, I could feel sweat on my palms.

Sean stepped toward me, he didn't look happy.

"If it is trash, why are you holding it like it is made of gold? You just hurt Lily’s hand to get it. Give it to me."

He reached out his hand. He expected me to drop the paper into his palm.

For the past seven years, that is exactly what I would have done. I was the good wife, the quiet wife who always did what he said because I believed we loved each other. But looking at him now, holding our daughter while he had been lying to my face about everything for five years… deceiving me, something inside me snapped. It felt like a rubber band breaking.

"No," I said with a cold tone.

Sean froze. He blinked, like he couldn't believe what he just heard. "What?"

"I said no, Sean," I said, and this time my voice was louder. It was strong.

"I am tired. I am so tired of you coming home and acting like a king. I am tired of you asking me questions like I’m a criminal. This paper is mine. It is not yours. It is none of your business."

"Sarah, watch your tone," he hissed. He looked embarrassed because the children were watching.

"Or what?" I stepped closer to him. I wasn't afraid. "What are you going to do, Sean? I work all day. I take care of the kids. I cook. I clean. And you? You lose your phone and come home to yell at me? Put Lily down. Now."

Sean’s jaw dropped. He looked at me like I had grown a second head. He slowly put Lily down on the floor. The kids were now staring at me with big, wide eyes because they had never seen me like this. I was always the one who whispered. I was always the one who cried quietly in the bathroom so they wouldn't hear. Not today.

"I am going to the bedroom," I said, clutching the paper even tighter. "Do not follow me. Do not talk to me. I need to be alone."

I walked out of the kitchen. My legs felt like jelly, but I kept my head high. I went into our bedroom and locked the door. I heard the lock click, and it was the best sound I had ever heard. I ran to the bathroom and turned on the sink so he couldn't hear me. I ripped the blue receipt into tiny, tiny pieces. I ripped them until they were like dust, and then I flushed them down the toilet.

Gone! The proof was gone.

I leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. I was shaking so hard. I had just fought with Sean. I talked back. I felt powerful, but I also felt sick. I stayed there for a long time, listening to the muffled sounds of the TV in the living room. I didn't go out to make dinner. I didn't go out to say sorry. I just sat in the dark.

Later that night, the house was very still. I knew Sean was on the couch in the sitting room, so I crept out of the bedroom and went into the kids' room. Ethan and Lily were tucked into their small beds, but they weren't asleep. Their eyes were open, watching the shadows on the ceiling.

"Mom?" Lily whispered. She sounded scared, while Ethan remained silent.

I sat on the edge of their bed and rubbed her hair. It was soft, just like mine.

"I'm here, baby... I'm sorry about earlier. I was just... I was having a bad day."

"Are you and Daddy fighting?"

I leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Grown-ups have hard days sometimes, Lily. But I love you more than anything. Both of you. You are my world, okay? Don't ever forget that."

"I like it when you're loud," Ethan finally whispered. "You sounded like a superhero."

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes mom.”

I smiled, but it felt sad. "Go to sleep, my little heroes. Tomorrow will be better, okay."

"okay..."

I stayed with them until I heard their breathing get slow and deep. For now, they were safe. But I knew I had to work faster because Sean was getting suspicious.

I went back to my bed and tried to sleep, but my mind was racing. I thought about the phone hidden in the shoe bin. I thought about the bank account.

Around 2:00 AM, the door opened. Sean walked in and climbed into bed. He didn't touch me, but he didn't stay quiet either.

"Sarah," he whispered into the dark. "Are you awake?"

I didn't move, I just pretended to be asleep.

"I know you're awake," he said. He sat up and turned on the light. The yellow light hurt my eyes.

"What is going on with you? This 'new' Sarah... I don't like her. You’re hiding something. Is there someone else? Is that why you were acting crazy over that paper?"

I sat up slowly. I didn't pull the covers up to hide, I just stared at him.

"There is no one else, Sean," I said. My voice was plain and dry. "I am just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Thinking about our lives," I said. "Look at this room, Sean. Look at the paint peeling off the walls. Look at the kids' shoes that have holes in them. I am thinking about how much we suffer while you WORK on trips that never bring home any money. I am tired of being poor. I am tired of being sad. That is the reason for my new attitude.”

Sean stared at me. He looked like he wanted to get angry, but he didn't have anything to say. He knew it was true.

"I’m trying, Sarah," he muttered, but he couldn't look me in the eye.

"Then try harder," I said. "I have to work in the morning. Turn off the light please."

The room went quiet. Sean didn’t move, his eyes fixed on me like he wasn’t sure he had heard me right. His brows slowly pulled together, and his mouth opened slightly before closing again.

Then, he turned off the light.

We lay there in the dark, side by side, but we were miles apart. I could feel his heart beating, but I didn't care anymore. The love I used to have for him felt like an old, cold cup of tea. It was bitter. It was finished.

The next morning, I woke up before the sun. My suspension at Lumière House was finally over, so I had to be at work before 8am.

I stood in front of the mirror while dressing up. I put on my old, faded black pants and a white shirt that was starting to turn yellow at the collar. My shoes were scuffed and ugly. I hated them.

I went into the kitchen. Sean was sitting at the table, staring at a piece of bread. He looked like he hadn't slept either.

"I'm going now," I said. I didn't offer to make him eggs. I didn't kiss him.

"Wait," he said. He looked up. "Are you coming home straight after work?"

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe. Why?"

"I'm going out later to see if I can find a cheap phone," he said. "I need you to be here for the kids."

“A cheap phone? ” I screamed in my head.

When you could easily afford a million-dollar phone? Crazy man!

"I'll be here when I can be here, Sean," I said. "I have to work. I have to make the money you aren't making. You can send them to Mrs. Asher's place."

“What has come—”

Before he could even finish, I grabbed my bag and walked out, leaving him in shock.

The morning air was cool, but it didn't make me feel better. I felt like I was wearing a heavy weight on my shoulders. I was a ‘poor wife’ in ‘poor clothes,’ going to a ‘rich shop.’

“Pathetic.” I mumbled.

When I arrived at Lumière House, the smell of expensive perfume hit me. It usually made me feel happy, but today it only made me angry. I felt relieved to see Ms. Harlow’s office door was still locked, she wasn't yet at work.

I spent the morning cleaning the glasses and steaming the silk dresses. Rich women walked in with their perfect hair and perfect lives. I felt like a ghost moving around them, until someone tapped me.

I turned sharply to see Penelope standing there, one eyebrow raised and the corner of her mouth curled in a small, amused smirk.

"Oh, look who is back!" she said, laughing at me. "How was your time away, Sarah? Did you enjoy being suspended? Or did you finally realize that nobody here actually needs you?"

“I’m just here to work, Penelope," I said quietly, gripping the steamer tightly in my hand as I tried to steady it.

"Work? You look like you belong in a thrift store, not a fancy shop like this." She kept laughing, with her eyes fixed on my shoes.

Suddenly, the bell rang. Penelope’s smirk vanished, and she straightened her back, her eyes going wide.

I followed her gaze, and my heart skipped a beat… Mr. Adrian Vale walked in…