Chapter 3:- Bitter Confrontation

                   Sarah’s POV

For a long, frozen moment, I couldn’t move.

It was as if the world had blurred around me, and only that image, Austin’s hand curled possessively around Miriam’s waist, stayed sharp and cruel.

My breath came out in a shaky exhale I couldn’t hold back.

Anita’s body went rigid beside me. I could feel the fury radiating off her like heat, but I still couldn’t speak. My tongue felt like lead.

Miriam’s voice broke through the silence. “Anita! I didn’t know you were coming to my house.” She smiled, walking closer, completely oblivious to the tension suffocating the air. “I said I’d catch up later—”

The sound came first, a crack that cut through the room like a whip.

Anita’s hand had connected with Miriam’s cheek so hard that even I flinched.

The entire room stilled.

Miriam’s head snapped to the side, her hair falling across her face. For a second, she didn’t even move.

Austin didn’t blink. His gaze was on me, steady, sharp, and dangerous. Not even the sight of Anita striking Miriam had broken his focus.

“What the hell are you doing here, Sarah?” His voice was low, a warning more than a question.

I could barely breathe. My gaze darted to Miriam, whose hand now covered her burning cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Anita,” she stammered, “why did you slap me? What the hell is wrong with you—”

Before she could finish, Anita’s hand came down again. Another slap. Louder. Harder.

Miriam stumbled backward, crashing to the floor.

“Anita!” I gasped, my voice breaking.

But Anita didn’t even look at me. Her breathing was harsh, her chest heaving. “You lying snake,” she hissed at Miriam.

That was when Austin moved.

He took one step forward, his jaw clenched tight. “Enough,” he growled. “You’ve gone too far, Anita.”

He reached for Anita’s wrist, but before he could touch her, something inside me snapped.

My palm connected with his face. Hard.

The sound echoed through the room.

Everyone froze — even me.

Austin’s head turned slightly from the impact, and when he faced me again, his eyes were wide with shock. Anita’s mouth hung open.

I’d never hit anyone before. Not even when Austin had hit me.

But right then, the sting in my palm felt like justice.

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision. My voice trembled, but the words came out sharp and raw. “This… this is the woman you’ve been cheating on me with?” My voice cracked as I pointed at Miriam. “The one you beat me for?”

Austin’s expression shifted, from surprise to fury. His nostrils flared as his gaze darted to Miriam, who was slowly standing up, her face flushed and her lipstick smeared.

Miriam touched her cheek and gave a humorless laugh. “Oh,” she said softly, realization dawning. “So that’s what this is about.”

Then she straightened, smoothing her hair with deliberate calm. “You both are going to regret this,” she said, smiling faintly. “You storm into my house, slap me, accuse me of sleeping with your husband… You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your lives.”

Her tone dripped with venom.

I ignored her. My eyes stayed on Austin, who was still glaring at me as if he couldn’t believe I’d dared to touch him.

“I’ve had enough,” I said, my voice shaking. “Of your lies, your fists, your cheating. I’m done being scared of you.”

Austin laughed, that low, cold laugh that had once charmed me and now chilled my blood. “You’re done?” he repeated, stepping closer. “Sarah, you don’t get to be done. You don’t walk away from me.”

“Yes,” I whispered, my throat tightening. “I do.”

His jaw tightened. “You think you can just divorce me? You think any court will side with you?”

 His smile twisted cruelly. “You’re nothing without me. You’ll go back to being the broke little orphan you were before I found you.”

I felt Anita’s hand on my shoulder, grounding me. “Let’s go,” she said firmly.

“Anita—”

“Now, Sarah.” Her tone left no room for argument.

I took one last look at Austin. He stood tall and furious, his hand still red from where I’d struck him, his eyes blazing with a hatred that sent a tremor through my bones.

Miriam was beside him now, her arm looped through his as if to claim victory. “You’ll regret this,” she said again, smirking.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned away.

Anita’s grip tightened on my arm as she led me toward the door.

We were almost at the exit when Austin’s voice cut through the air, deep, commanding, and laced with threat.

“Sarah.”

I froze, but didn’t turn.

“Come back here,” he said. “Now.”

Every instinct screamed at me to obey, to turn, to apologize, to shrink back into the woman he’d trained me to be.

But Anita’s hand was steady on mine, her voice low but fierce. “Keep walking.”

I did.

The click of my heels against the marble floor echoed like gunshots in the silence.

Each step away from him felt heavier than the last, but it was also the first time in years that I’d felt something like freedom clawing its way to the surface.

Outside, I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until it came out in a shudder.

Anita opened the car door for me without saying a word. I climbed in, my hands still shaking, my mind a storm of fear, rage, and disbelief.

Without wasting time, I drove off but my hands were trembling so badly on the steering wheel that I could barely keep the car steady.

 The streetlights blurred through my tears.

I couldn’t stop the sobs. They came in quiet, broken gasps. “I can’t believe it, Anita,” I whispered, my throat raw. “Miriam… she was your sister. How could she do this?”

Anita exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. “I swear to God, Sarah, I had no idea. I never imagined Miriam could betray us like that.”

“She knew everything,” I choked out, my voice trembling. “Every bruise, every fight… she comforted me while she was sleeping with him.” My chest tightened until it hurt. “All this time, I thought she cared.

Anita reached over, placing a firm hand on my arm. “Listen to me, Sarah. You didn’t deserve any of this. None of it. You’re going to get through this, do you hear me?”

But her words barely reached me. My vision blurred again, and I blinked hard to see the road. “I just… I just want to disappear,” I whispered.

Anita’s voice softened, gentler now. “Pull over, Sarah. Let me drive. You’re shaking, you’re not in the right state for this.”

I nodded faintly, my grip loosening. “Yeah, maybe I should—”

That was when it happened.

A blaring horn cut through the night.

Bright headlights flashed across the windshield.

Everything froze.

Anita screamed my name, then the world exploded in metal and glass.

The impact slammed through my body, air bursting from my lungs.

 The car spun, the sound of twisting steel filling my ears. Then, darkness.

When I opened my eyes again, everything was blurry. 

The world was pale and cold. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe properly. Shapes moved around me, voices echoing.

“Her pulse is dropping—get her to the ER now!”

I tried to speak, but nothing came out.

The sharp scent of antiseptic filled my nostrils. Someone pressed a mask over my mouth.

Then I heard a calm, urgent voice cutting through the chaos.

“Her case is worse than I thought, only one specialist can handle this. Call Doctor Richard. He’s the only one who can handle this… or she’s going to die.”

The words faded into the dark as my eyes fluttered shut.