Page 30 of After Everything
Movement caught my eye. A woman at atable near the window, laughing at something one of her companions said. Dark hair pulled back. Sharp cheekbones. That polished, professional look that seemed effortless.
Something about her face was familiar.
My stomach tightened before my brain could catch up.
I knew that face. I'd stared at it in photos for hours. Burned it into my memory during the worst night of my life.
It was her.
Sarah.
She was at a table with two other women, all of them in business casual. They’d probably just left the office. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she looked exactly like I remembered. Polished. Put together.
Tired, though. There were circles under her eyes that even makeup couldn't quite hide.
She reached for her wine glass, said something that made the other women laugh, and for a moment she looked almost... normal. Just another professionalhaving drinks with colleagues on a Friday night.
The woman my husband had thrown everything away for.
The woman who'd sent him photos in lingerie.
The woman who'd walked away from him the second it got complicated.
My heart was pounding, but not the way it would have four months ago. Not with rage or devastation or that sick, twisting jealousy that had consumed me.
This was just... adrenaline. The shock of unexpected recognition.
She turned her head, scanning the room, and our eyes met.
I watched the realization hit her face. The recognition. Then something else… Discomfort? Guilt, maybe. Or fear.
She looked away immediately. Back to her friends, like she'd seen nothing. Like I was just another stranger at the bar.
But her shoulders had tensed. Her smile looked forced now, too bright. She was pretending I wasn't there, but she knew. She knew exactly who I was.
And she was afraid of me.
The thought settled over me like a strange sort of calm.
Sarah Oakley—polished, successful, daughter of a managing partner—wasafraidof me. The woman whose life she'd helped destroy. The woman who had every right to walk over there and make a scene.
But I didn't want to make a scene.
I didn't want to say a single word to her.
She wasn't worth it. Wasn't worth interrupting my celebration, wasn't worth the energy it would take to be angry. She was just... someone who'd made shitty choices. Someone who'd hurt people and faced her own consequences, whatever they’d been.
Someone I didn't need to think about anymore.
The bartender appeared. "What can I get you?"
"A bottle of champagne," I said. "Whatever you recommend."
He nodded and turned away.
I didn't look back at Sarah's table. Didn't need to. I picked up the champagne when it arrived and walked back to my friends.
Connor had returned and was laughing at something Sebastian said. Jess saw me approaching and raised her empty glass. "Did you get lost?"
