When Sebastian watched Sarah walk out on him, it felt as though something vital had been ripped from his chest and carried away with her. A heavy sorrow rose from deep within him, quickly turning into something darker, something bitter. It spread through his veins like poison. His eyes burned red, not with tears, but with rage. In that moment, his heart hardened, filling with a cold, consuming hatred for Martin.
***
When Sarah stormed into Martin's private apartment, she was immediately struck by the darkness. The silence felt strange. For a moment, she assumed he had stepped out, perhaps for a drink or a late errand. Trying to steady herself, she headed toward the kitchen, hoping a glass of cold water would calm the fire raging inside her.
But just as she stepped into the kitchen, she froze.
A low groan echoed faintly through the apartment.
She frowned, unsure if she had imagined it. Maybe the television was still on in the living room? She turned back toward the dispenser, reaching for a glass.
Then it came again.
This time louder.
Clearer.
A moan....soft, but unmistakable.
Sarah's hand trembled slightly as she gripped the glass. Before she could process it, another sound followed, this time a woman's voice, high-pitched and breathless.
"Oh God… pleeease…"
The voice rose sharply, dissolving into heavy breathing.
Sarah's world tilted.
Her ears rang as disbelief settled in. Another woman… in Martin's apartment?
Her mind struggled to catch up with what she was hearing.
Then the voice came again, laced with shameless pleasure.
"Babe… you're so good to me. I want this every day of my life."
Sarah's heart stopped.
And then
Martin's voice.
Smooth. Arrogant. Triumphant.
"If she signs the deal tonight, I'm going to get rid of her."
"How?" the woman asked, her tone tinged with excitement.
"She's stubborn," Martin replied lazily. "But I know what to do. I've already made plans."
The glass slipped slightly in Sarah's grip.
Her chest tightened so violently it felt like her heart might burst through her ribs.
The man she had given everything to…
Cooked for. Cleaned for. Worked for. Sacrificed for.
The man she had trusted with her life
Even risked herself for, just to secure his future.
Was planning to kill her.
And enjoy the rewards with another woman.
Cold sweat broke out across her skin.
Her first instinct was to burst into the room, to confront them, to scream, to demand answers.
But then she heard something that rooted her to the spot.
"Have you told her the truth about her father and his death yet?" the woman asked.
A pause.
Then Martin's voice came again, darker this time.
"No. But I'll make sure the last thing she hears before she dies… is the truth. That her father died at my father's hands… and how we took everything from him. His shares. His investments."
A cruel, twisted laughter filled the apartment.
It went on and on.
For a full minute.
Sarah stood frozen, unable to breathe, unable to think.
When the laughter finally faded, her body gave way to trembling. Her vision blurred with tears, and a pounding headache split through her skull.
Somehow, she turned.
Somehow, she walked.
Staggering blindly, she made her way out of the apartment without crashing into anything.
When she finally stepped outside, the cold night air hit her bare skin, and she shivered violently.
She looked around, disoriented.
How did she get here?
How had her entire life… collapsed in a single moment?
For over a decade, she had built everything around Martin—his dreams, his ambitions, his company. She had believed he was her present and her future.
And in one devastating instant, she realized
It had all been a lie.
He was cheating on her.
He was planning to kill her.
And her father's death…
It wasn't an accident.
Her knees nearly buckled.
The wind cut through her thin clothing, but she barely felt it. Her mind was racing, spiraling.
Confront him?
No.
That would be suicide.
She had made one smart decision tonight, she had left quietly. If she had barged in, they could have killed her on the spot and erased every trace.
And no one would come looking.
Because she had no one.
No family.
No friends.
Martin had made sure of that.
She had believed he was enough, her lover, her companion, her everything. So she had stopped reaching out to the world.
Now, she stood alone in it.
Shaking, she pulled out her phone and checked her bank account. There was still some money, enough to stay in a guest house for a few days.
It wasn't much.
But it was a start.
But unknown to Sarah, she was being watched.
From behind the curtains of the apartment she had just left, two figures watched her.
Martin and Charlotte, the red-haired woman.
The moment Sarah had left, something alerted them. Perhaps it was a sound, a footstep, a breath, the faint click of the door.
Whatever it was, it had been enough to let them know the had been caught.
They had scrambled out of bed in panic, hastily covering themselves before rushing toward the living room.
But by the time they reached the door
Whoever had been there was gone or vanished.
Now, they stood by the window, hearts pounding, eyes fixed on the street below.
"There's only one person who can access my apartment that easily," Martin said grimly.
Charlotte's eyes widened in realization.
"…Her? That's impossible. You said she wouldn't be back until midnight."
Martin didn't respond.
Instead, he moved closer to the large window overlooking the street, Charlotte followed her. The watched, they waited,
Moments passed.
Then they saw her, Sarah.
She stepped out of the building, pulling her clothes tighter against the cold.
Even from behind, Martin could recognize her immediately, her posture, her silhouette.
Her shoulders were slumped and her body trembled.
And every now and then, she lifted a hand to wipe away tears.
Charlotte's voice dropped to a whisper.
"I think… she saw us."
Martin's jaw tightened.
"Yes," he said coldly. "She did."
A heavy silence followed.
"And she heard everything," he added. "Which means she's going to use it against us."
Charlotte's composure shattered.
"Oh my God… what are we going to do?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.
Martin turned away from the window, his expression dark and resolute.
"We're going to stop her."
He walked back into the bedroom, picked up his phone from the bedside table, and dialed a number.
It rang for a few seconds.
Then a gruff voice answered from the other end.
Martin didn't hesitate.
He began to give orders.