Page 9 of What Broke First
Before Matt could respond, Lily stepped forward, her heels clicking like punctuation, her arm once again sliding possessively through his. “Maybe you should move on,” she said, her voice thick with condescension. “You’ve had time. Pack up your kids and let go. That’s his house, anyway.”
Lily took another step forward, chin high. “He chose me.”
Sarah nodded once, slow and sharp. “He did. He chose you over his children’s bedtime stories, over Sunday pancakes, over growing old with someone, over the woman who knew every monster under every bed. You aren’t his future. You are his escape hatch.”
Matt opened his mouth. Closed it again.
“You’re not the villain, Lily,” she continued, her tone calm and cutting. “You’re just the symptom. Of his weakness. Of your insecurity. And of a culture that teaches women that you find your validation under a taken man.”
Matt stepped between them, but Lily ignored him. “You’re pushing forty and clinging to a man who chose better.”
Sarah didn’t flinch.
Her eyes locked on Lily with a stare so steady it felt surgical.
“I’d rather be a 39-year-old me…”
A pause.
A breath.
“…than a 27-year-old you.”
She let the words settle. Let Lily feel them.
“At least I have integrity.”
She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to. The certainty in her tone was louder than any scream. And somehow, that was worse because Sarah wasn’t fighting.
She was done.
Lily stiffened. “You think you’re better than me?”
Sarah tilted her head. “I don’t need to be better. I just need to never be you.”
Lily’s eyes widened in outrage, but Matt quickly intervened, pulling her back. “We’re leaving,” he said firmly, steering Lily away from the scene. He could feel the eyes of passersby on them, the weight of judgment heavy in the air.
As they walked away, Matt’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions. He wanted to disappear into the pavement, but fury clawed at him too. And under it all, a sharp, undeniable truth — this wasn’t the life he wanted. He realized that the person he was with, this younger, wilder woman, was not who he truly wanted by his side. He had always intended to grow old with Sarah, her sharp wit and verbal intelligence. She exuded class and an emotional maturity that Lily lacked.
They reached the car, and Lily yanked her arm away, her green eyes blazing with fury. “Why did you pull me away like that?” she demanded. “She deserved to hear the truth.”
Matt ran a hand through his hair, feeling the tension building in his temples. “That wasn’t the truth, Lily,” he said sharply. “That was you being petty and cruel. And I won’t have you speaking to her like that, especially in front of the kids.”
Lily’s eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a smirk. “You’re just scared to admit you’re still hung up on her,” she shot back. “That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?”
Matt felt a surge of anger and guilt. “This isn’t about me,” he snapped. “This is about you disrespecting the mother of my children.”
Lily crossed her arms, turning to get into the car. “Whatever! Were you respecting the mother of your children yesterday when you were balls deep inside of ME?”
“Jesus, Lily.”
Once they were both seated in the car, he stared at her like she had grown a second head. “Do you hear yourself? Do you even care who’s watching? Who’s listening?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Just take me home.”
Matt clenched his jaw, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as he started the car. The ride back to her apartment was tense and silent, each of them stewing in their own thoughts.
As they pulled up to her building, Lily turned to him, her expression softening slightly. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?” she said, her voice quieter. “I just... I don’t like seeing her. It makes me feel... threatened.”
