Chapter 10

Sara Michaels

The next morning came too soon.

I stood under the shower longer than I should have, letting the hot water pound against my shoulders until my skin turned pink.

Yesterday’s cold still lingered in my bones...like the patio water, like Tom’s stare, like Emily’s laugh echoing in my ears. I scrubbed hard, as if soap could wash away the humiliation, the memory of standing soaked and shivering while they watched from above.

When I stepped out, steam fogged the mirror. I wiped a circle with my palm and looked at myself.

Tired but not defeated.

I opened the closet. My clothes...once neatly organized, now shoved to one side to make room for Emily’s endless designer pieces...felt foreign. I hadn’t worn anything nice in weeks. Hadn’t wanted to. What was the point when every day felt like punishment?

But today… today was different. I had class.

Kingsley’s academy. 10 a.m. sharp.

I deserved to look like a person, not a broken thing.

I pulled out a pair of skinny jeans I hadn’t touched in years. Dark wash, fitted, the kind that used to make Tom’s eyes darken when I wore them. I slid them on.

They still fit...maybe even better now, hugging my hips and thighs in a way that felt almost defiant. I paired them with a soft pink top....one of the few things I’d bought for myself before everything fell apart. It clung gently to my waist, scooped low at the neck, sleeves three-quarter length. Simple. Feminine. Presentable.

I looked in the mirror again.

Blonde hair loose around my shoulders, still damp at the ends. A touch of mascara. Lip gloss. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to remind myself I wasn’t invisible.

I almost smiled.

I grabbed my bag, slipped on low heels, and headed downstairs.

Emily was in the living room, legs draped over the arm of the couch, scrolling on her phone. She looked up when I passed.

Her eyes narrowed.

For a second she didn’t speak, she just stared. Then her lips curved into that slow, poisonous smile.

“Wow,” she said softly, almost to herself. “Look who decided to play dress-up. Good luck job hunting...As if anyone would ever hire you.”

I kept walking toward the door.

She sat up straighter. “Those jeans are cute. A little tight, though. Trying to remind Tom what he’s throwing away?”

I paused, hand on the doorknob.

She laughed under her breath. “Don’t worry. He’s already forgotten. He’s at the office thinking about me right now.”

My stomach twisted, but I didn’t turn around. "You have won him, why does it bother you what I wear and where I go? or are you intimidated that I fucked him first?"

I was almost free of the house when her voice called out again...sweet this time, almost innocent.

“Sara?” She called out. "Play the saint all you want , you are nothing but my maid now ..."

I stopped.

She pouted, holding up an empty glass. “Be a doll and make me some juice before you go? Fresh orange and maybe a little ice?”

I looked at her with a firm look on my face. The last thing I wanted was let her get on my nerves. "As you wish, your majesty."

She tilted her head, batting her lashes. “Pretty please? I’m so thirsty.”

I exhaled slowly then I walked back to the kitchen.

I squeezed oranges until my hands ached. Poured the juice over ice. I spit into the cup, making sure she didn't see me. She was on my nerves. I carried the glass to her like it was nothing.

She took it without looking up from her phone. “Thanks, babe. You’re such a good little helper.”

I set the glass on the table beside her with a smirk on my lips.

Then I walked out. The door closed behind me with a soft click. Outside, the air was crisp. The warm sun had broken through the clouds. I lifted my face to it for a second, breathing deep.

I wasn’t her maid.

I wasn’t Tom’s wife anymore...not in any way that mattered.

I was Sara Michaels. And today, I was going to learn how to build something that belonged to me.

I got into the car, started the engine, and drove toward the academy.

Toward the first real step out of this nightmare.

And for the first time in days, my hands didn’t shake on the wheel.

I let the music play on the little radio Tom always hated. My hand hovered over my phone, wondering if Tom would ever remember who I really am and that I would never cheat.

My phone screen lit up, for a second, I thought it was Tom ..But a smile curled on my phone when I saw Kingsley's name.

He looked so much like the man I'd saved four years ago, in a terrible accident.

I remember trying so hard to please Tom. I saw driving from the jewelry shop, there was a Rolex he kept eyeing for days. It had diamond's on it.

He was just a boyfriend to me, but seeing him desire for something made me cave.

I didn't manage to buy it, I was throne out of the store because I didn't match the beauty standards.

Until I found a man hanging on a thread of life.

Icy Blue eyes...The same eyes Dr Kingsley had. They stared into my soul.

I gripped on the Staring wheel harder as my mind replayed how he covered my shivering body yesterday.

A stranger treated me better than my own husband.