CHAPTER EIGHT
Sara
I thought I was okay.
I thought I was tough.
I thought I could get through this.
But it was so hard. So damn hard.
Seeing Cole again ripped open wounds that were still raw, reminding me of the heartbreak—the loss of love I once believed would last forever.
Of the pain. Of feeling small and unworthy.
Of knowing that I wasn't enough for him.
I walked away from him, trying to be strong. But the pain remained, gnawing at my insides, wrecking my soul.
I told myself, don't cry.
But I still cried.
I walked faster, farther away, yet the most important part of me remained in his hands.
He still had my heart.
Cole was my life. He was my everything. And I would use every ounce of my strength to reduce him to nothing.
I jogged, skirting the edge of the pool and rushing into the house, hastily wiping away the tears still streaming down my cheeks.
I chanted to myself, I'm stronger than this.
When I stopped at the double doors, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I couldn't let Archie's parents see me like this.
When I opened my eyes again, the crying had stopped.
I've got this.
I slid open the door and stepped inside. Janet and Herston turned to me at once. Janet, ever perceptive, narrowed her eyes, the crease in her forehead deepening. She saw it. The sorrow in my expression, the weight in my stance.
I ached to run into her arms, to feel the warmth of a mother's embrace, something I had lost long ago.
Herston's gaze followed hers, and the moment his eyes met mine, understanding flickered to life. No words were needed—he knew, just as she did.
My heartbreak was apparent to them. They knew I was hurting.
I felt fragile. I felt exposed. This wasn't me.
"What happened, honey?" Janet's voice was gentle as she stepped closer.
I shook my head, unable to speak.
Then, I heard voices calling my name. I turned toward the source—Bobby and Steve stood there, their expressions heavy with something I couldn't quite place.
Sadness. Worry. Or was it remorse?
Realization suddenly dawned on me. They knew. Of course, they knew. It was impossible that they didn't.
In that instant, I felt myself harden. My muscles, my bones, and my heart turned to stone as anger wrapped itself around me like armor.
My voice was quiet but as sharp as a blade. "You all knew, didn't you? All this time... you knew."
Steve visibly recoiled, taking a step back, while Bobby cautiously moved forward.
"Sara—"
There was no need for them to explain. They knew.
"You both fucking lied to me!" I screamed, my voice trembling with fury.
I was shaking.
A presence appeared beside me. Archie.
"Peaches," he whispered softly.
I knew he was trying to calm me down, to ground me. But I couldn't. It was too much.
Then, I felt another presence behind me.
Cole.
I turned to him. Misery clouded his eyes, but nothing— nothing he felt—could compare to my pain.
Holding myself together was a battle, a desperate fight to keep from breaking right then and there.
Yet, somehow, I found my voice.
"I never thought I'd be the fool—blind to the lies so carefully woven around me. That every smile you all shared with me, every happy moment, was built on deception. Were you laughing behind my back? At how naive I was? How weak?"
My entire body trembled, shaking with the force of my anger. No one dared to step closer, as if I was a volcano on the verge of eruption.
But Archie remained beside me, his presence anchoring me just enough—just enough to keep me from shattering into pieces, from dissolving into dust and being carried away by the wind.
"I have no parents. No siblings. I thought I had built a family with all of you. That I wasn't alone anymore."
A breath, a beat, another piece of my heart breaking.
"But now? I've lost my husband. And I've lost my family too."
Bobby took another cautious step closer to me. "Sara, we wanted to tell you. Steve and I—we did. But we didn't want to hurt you."
"Bullshit!" I roared. "You didn't protect me. You betrayed me. You hurt me by lying, by standing by while he..." I flung a hand toward Cole, my voice trembling, my breath hitching as I fought to steady myself. "While he fucked around behind my back. Day after day, for how many months? Or was it years?"
I faintly heard Janet and Herston's sharp gasp.
My voice cracked, but I didn't stop. "And you—" I looked at each of them, my chest heaving. "You celebrated his infidelity. You supported his lies. You cheered him on—'Go ahead, screw around. Fuck Sara. She won't suspect a thing.'"
I let out a sharp, bitter laugh, the sound hollow and broken. "And I didn't. I didn't suspect a damn thing. Because I trusted you. I trusted all of you."
"Sara," Steve murmured, looking devastated.
Screw him. I used to be fond of the freckled, ginger-haired man. I thought he was fun and kind. I thought he was my friend.
"We found out only after she got pregnant. We didn't—" Steve was abruptly cut off by Janet's sharp, stunned squeal.
"What the hell!" Janet shrieked, whipping around to Cole. She jabbed a finger in his direction, her face contorted with outrage. "I'm disappointed in you. Very disappointed! Oh my God, Cole!"
"Mom," Archie warned, but she didn't seem to hear him.
"I can't believe this. Cole, you asshole! How could you?"
"Dad, get her out of here," Archie muttered. Without hesitation, Herston grabbed his wife and led her toward the back of the house, her furious muttering trailing behind them.
"I'm sorry, Sara," Bobby said, her tone heavy with remorse. "Steve and I—we're both sorry."
"We're here because we want to tell you in person how sorry we are," Steve said. "We know it was wrong to keep it from you. But we didn't know what to do."
"I don't understand," I whispered, shaking my head. "How could you act like nothing was happening? How could you laugh with me, pretend everything was normal?"
"It's my fault," Cole finally spoke, stepping closer. "I asked them to stay silent. Bobby and Steve wanted to tell you. They kept pressuring me to tell you." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But I couldn't."
He reached for my hand, but I yanked it away.
"I didn't want to lose you," he whispered.
I scoffed, the sound sharp and bitter. "You should've thought of that before you stuck your dick in a whore's cunt."
This time, it was Archie who gasped, startled by the harshness of my words.
"Sara," Cole stepped closer, but I moved away. His voice cracked. "I am so sorry. I won't ask you to forgive me. I know I don't deserve it. But if it takes my whole life to prove that I'm worthy of your love, then I will spend every second trying, even if you never look at me the same way again. Please give me a chance."
"Too late for that, Cole," I sighed tiredly. "Don't waste your time."
Then I looked up at him, my eyes burning with fury and pain. "I hate you. With every beat of my fucking heart. And I will never forgive you, Cole. No matter what." My voice trembled, but I refused to break. I lifted my chin, forcing steel into my words. "You didn't just break my heart—you shattered it beyond repair. And now, I want you out of my sight."
I turned to Bobby and Steve, their faces frozen in stunned silence. "All of you. Get out of my sight!"
Herston suddenly appeared behind me, his voice sharp and commanding. "Out. Now!" he barked, his glare settling on Cole. "You too. Get out!"
*** *** ***
I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my body heavy against the mattress. Sleep refused to come.
My mind was a battlefield. Memories clashing, emotions warring, ghosts whispering doubts in the dark. I thought about the girl I used to be, the one who believed in love, in loyalty, in forever. She felt like a stranger now, someone distant, na?ve.
I blinked, exhaling shakily. Had I always been this blind? Had love dulled the edges of reality until it was too late? How did I never suspect anything?
The house was silent, but my thoughts were deafening. I turned onto my side, curling into myself as if holding in all the pain would keep it from spilling over. I was already so tired, so damn tired of carrying this agony.
Maybe tomorrow I would feel lighter. Maybe tomorrow, the ceiling wouldn't feel like it was caving in.
A knock at the door made me turn.
"Sara," Archie's voice seeped through. "Can I come in?"
I hesitated for a moment before I answered. "Yeah."
The door creaked open, and Archie stepped inside, his face etched with concern.
He said nothing at first; he just stood there, watching me like he was trying to figure out how broken I really was. I turned back to the ceiling, unwilling to meet his gaze for too long.
After a beat, he said, "Are you okay?"
I let out a dry, humorless chuckle, but I said nothing.
"You're not okay," he concluded. He walked over and got on the bed, stretching beside me and folding his hands over his belly. "What are you looking at?" he asked.
"The ceiling."
"What's interesting about it?"
"Nothing."
"Want to talk about it?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Then let's talk about something else," he offered.
"Like what?"
"I had told no one about this, but I almost got married once."
My head snapped toward him. "What?"
He chuckled. "I was deep in the mountains, covering a conflict between rival factions that had turned a village into a battleground. The horrors those people faced... you couldn't even imagine. I stayed there for two weeks. The village chief was kind enough to give me and my crew room and board for a small fee."
He paused, shifting his long legs and crossing one over the other. "The chief had a daughter..." His gaze flicked to me, a small grin curving his lips.
I narrowed my eyes, already sensing where this was going.
"She was gorgeous—olive skin, inky black hair, big, expressive eyes, and cheeks always flushed. She had a way of drawing me in, completely captivating me. We flirted constantly, though she spoke little English, so most of our conversations happened through stolen glances and lingering looks." He paused for a moment to clear his throat. "Then, one night..."
"You slept with her?" I blurted it out before I could stop myself.
"Yeah. And the next day, she went to her father, telling him I took her virginity—which she wasn't a virgin, by the way—and demanded that I marry her. He had me and my crew captured immediately and thrown into a cell. They set the wedding for the next day."
"So, what did you do?"
"We escaped in the middle of the night and never went back."
I burst out laughing. "You coward!"
He grinned. "But I got you to laugh," he said.
"Was it a true story?" Suspicion crept into my voice.
He shrugged. "Yes. She was pretty, and I was lonely."
I laughed again.
"I take it you brought condoms everywhere you went?"
"You bet," he answered without missing a beat.
"Tell me another story," I demanded.
"Okay," he said, pausing as if deciding which story to tell. "I was at the airport, just back from an assignment," he began. "I was exhausted, desperate for a shower, starving because I'd slept through the flight and missed the meal. After grabbing my luggage, I headed to a restaurant just outside the airport and took a seat.
I must've looked rough—thick beard, long messy hair, tattoos, and a dirty shirt. A complete mess. People kept glancing at me like I was about to snatch their purse. Even the waiter seemed wary, probably wondering if I could even afford to pay. Still, I ignored them and ordered the biggest burger on the menu. When the food arrived, I ate slowly, deliberately, just to get on their nerves.
But when it was time to pay, I realized I didn't have my wallet. Either someone stole it, or I left it somewhere. And I had broken my phone, so I threw it away."
I gasped. "Then what did you do?"
"I told the waiter about my missing wallet and promised to transfer the payment later. I even offered to leave my ring as collateral." He held up his right hand, showing me the ring on his finger. "It's worth way more than the meal. But they didn't believe me. They threatened to call the police."
I held my breath.
"Then this girl stepped forward. I hadn't even noticed her before. She paid for my food without hesitation. The waiter glared at me but took the money from her anyway. The girl's actions shocked me. She wasn't like the others who kept watching me with suspicion. But she just... left before I could even thank her.
I asked the waiter where she had been sitting because I couldn't understand how I hadn't noticed her. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, and somehow, I hadn't seen her at all."
He pointed to a table, so I walked over. Her plate and glass were still there—the waiter hadn't cleared them yet. And she'd left something behind."
"What was it?" I asked, completely captivated.
"A small plastic bag," he said, his voice quieter now. I watched him swallow, and suddenly, something clicked in my mind.
"Inside, there were—"
"Peaches," I finished for him, the memory crashing into me. I stared at him, stunned. It was me. His story was about me. It had been so long ago that I hadn't even thought about it. It was even before I met Cole.
"Yeah..." He smiled softly, then slid off the bed. Leaning over, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head. "Good night, Peaches. Try to get some sleep."