Page 30 of Unfaithful

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—nothinghe 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 withme, 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."

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