Chapter 4

Rain pounded against the window, lightning flashing as thunder rolled across the sky.

It rained like this two months ago. The exact same day Leo died.

I sat on the living room couch. In front of me lay three signed copies of the divorce papers.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table.

It was a text from Mark.

[Sarah, I've been thinking. I know I haven't been there for you and Leo over the years.]

[I'm heading to his school right now to pick him up like I promised.]

[Get dinner ready. Let's have a nice family night, just the three of us.]

I stared at the screen, a sick laugh bubbling in my throat.

Where was he going to pick him up?

Preschool had been out for summer, and Leo’s enrollment had been canceled a long time ago.

Mark didn't even notice that his son hadn't spoken a single word to him in two full months.

I gripped the phone, listening to the rain outside. My heart was completely dead.

Half an hour later, Mark called.

His cheerful mood was gone, replaced by growing annoyance.

"Sarah, where are you? I'm at the preschool gates, but the place is completely locked up.

"Even the security guard is different. He says he has never heard of Leo Sterling.

"Did you transfer him to another school without telling me? Are you playing games with me?"

Over the receiver, I could hear the steady swish-swish of his windshield wipers.

I could almost picture him sitting in his luxury car, arrogant and impatient.

"Mark," I said softly. "You won't find him there."

"What is that supposed to mean?" His voice spiked. "Can you stop making a scene? I actually showed up this time. What more do you want?

"When I didn't pick him up, you nagged me every single day. Now that I'm here, you pull this disappearing act?"

I looked down at the broken action figure on the table.

"The divorce papers are on the nightstand. I'm leaving."

"Sarah! Explain yourself right now! Where is our son?"

I hung up without another word and blocked his number.

Grabbing my suitcase, I walked out into the pouring rain.

The mansion where I had lived for five years loomed in the dark, twisted and ugly.

It looked like a giant tomb, one that buried my entire youth, along with my son's life.

A black sedan pulled up right on cue.

Julian rolled down the window, looking at me drenched in the rain.

"Ready to leave all this behind?"

I opened the door and got in, never once looking back.

"There's nothing left to hold onto. Do you have what I asked for?"

Julian picked up a heavy folder from the passenger seat and handed it over.

"This contains the original records of Mark's tax fraud, along with proof of his money laundering through shell corporations."

He paused, his dark eyes sharp.

"Once this reaches the authorities, Mark will spend the rest of his life behind bars."

My fingers trembled slightly as I flipped through the documents.

"Thank you."

---

Back at the preschool gate, Leo's former teacher, Mrs. Hayes, stepped out under an umbrella.

She froze when she saw Mark standing in the downpour.

"Mr. Sterling? What are you doing here?"

Mark wiped the rainwater from his face. "I came to pick up Leo."

Mrs. Hayes stood in the rain, her face turning pale.

She stared at him, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"Mr. Sterling..." Her voice trembled against the sound of the storm. "You... you don't know?"

"Know what?" Mark snapped, stepping closer.

Mrs. Hayes took a deep breath, looking at him with pure horror.

"Leo... died in a car accident two months ago."

Thunder crashed overhead.

Mark froze like a statue.