Page 8 of The Vow Thief
Sarah watched him storm out, the slam of the door rattling the walls. She didn’t flinch. Not this time. Her pulse raced, but she forced it down, forcing the storm inside her into stillness. She had cried herself empty the night before. All she had left now was resolve.
Sarah stared at the closed door, the echo of his anger still vibrating in the walls. For nearly nine months, she had kept herself contained, every tear shed alone, every crack hidden from him. Not once had she let him see her unravel. Control had been her armor, silence her shield.
Then one note in Lily’s handwriting, paired with the intimacy she thought she was ready for, had ripped it apart. A tidal wave, sudden and merciless, dragged her under before she could breathe.
She stood in the stillness of the kitchen, arms slack at her sides, trying to find her footing again. Last night had been the first time she’d broken in front of him since the day he confessed. That truth taunted her; if only she could unlive it. But right now, she was ready to tell Matt to stay away for a while. Her mind was shifting between let's work this out to fuck off.
A long breath steadied her. Shoulders squared, spine straight, she turned on her heel and headed for her office. If Matt wanted her shattered again, he’d have to look elsewhere. Work didn’t betray her.
Chapter 4 - Inside Our Walls
Sarah's POV
Work was both my savior and my shield. It demanded my focus, pulled me upright, and reminded me that I was more than the wreckage of my marriage.
I served as the Chief Program Director for the largest nonprofit in the country, The Concord Initiative. That title carried weight, but the work itself was what mattered. I managed programs that kept families fed, pushed initiatives into communities that needed them, and signed off on decisions that shaped lives. People relied on me, and I refused to let them down. The best part was that I worked from home and set my own schedule. Perfect for a working mother.
By the time I walked into my office, I had already shifted gears. My personal life was bleeding, but here I was steady. Here I called the shots.
I slid a stack of old invoices aside, my attention immediately snagging on a flash of color peeking out from beneath a spiral notebook. Glossy. Smooth. I pulled it free and froze.
Lily.
Her face tilted toward the camera, her eyes locked on the lens as if she could see straight through it, her lips curved in that smug little half-smile I knew too well. Hair tousled, makeup soft but calculated.
My first thought was that Matt hadn’t been living here, so these couldn't be his pictures.
My second question was, then how the hell did this get on my desk?
A low sound escaped me, and I yanked the top drawer open. Another photo. This time Lily was sitting at Matt’s desk, one bare leg crossed over the other, skirt riding high, the heel of her shoe dangling like a casual invitation.
The side drawer gave me two more. One was close enough that I could make out the gold flecks in Lily’s eyes. The other one burned through me, a rush of acid I couldn’t swallow down. Lily leaned in close to whisper something into Matt’s ear, her lips brushing his skin, his hand on her waist. I didn’t need to be told when it had been taken. I knew, and it made me want to throw up all over my desk.
My hands shook as I grabbed my phone.
Sarah:You busy? It's important.
Matt:What’s up?
Sarah:Can you call me?
The phone rang almost instantly.
“Hey,” Matt’s voice was neutral.
I tried hard to control my voice, but it came out small.“Can you come over? Now?”
A pause. Then,“Actually… yes. Can you give me thirty to forty-five minutes?”
“Yes.”
Matt ended the call.
I looked back at the photos, at Lily’s smirk, and something in me clicked from hurt to anger. The ability to forgive my husband for his infidelity was no longer an option. I was finally able to see clearly. Resentment bled through me like poison in the bloodstream.
I spun to the monitors, fingers sharp on the keyboard as I pulled up the security app and scrolled the weekend feeds.
There she was.
