He was back to being the man who’d do
anything for me. But I knew we couldn’t go
back.
C
When he showed up again with roses, I
sighed. “Ethan, you’re busy. You don’t need
to keep coming. I’m fine.” As long as he paid
what he owed me, I didn’t need anything else.
“It’s fine. Your health is important. Work can
wait.”
“But I don’t want to see you. It upsets me. It’s
not good for my recovery.”
He froze, looking fragile. He stared at me, as
if he couldn’t believe I’d say such a thing.
I repeated myself. “Seeing you reminds me of
your lies, your cheating… It makes me sick.”
He forced a smile. “After all these years,
Sarah, can’t you give me another chance?”
“When I was in that car accident, you couldn’t
come because you were with Tina at an
amusement park. Did you think about our
years together then?”
I knew he wanted me back. He loved me, but
he also resented me, resented our shared
past, resented the fact that I was more
successful than him. So he’d sought solace in
a younger, more malleable version of me. But
knowing him so well made his betrayal that much more painful.
“Ethan, you can’t have everything. It’s greedy. Let’s end this amicably. Leave me with some good memories. Don’t make me regret ever
loving you.”
He seemed genuinely hurt. He left and didn’t return, sending the money through his lawyer.
I owned 25% of the company. He’d initially wanted me to keep the shares, as they’d be worth more after the IPO. But I refused. He
wasn’t a good leader, too focused on his ego. He’d made me resign because of his pride. I
didn’t want my future tied to his.