Chapter 2

That night, Sarah went back to the forum.

The anonymous poster had updated.

"She agreed! Easiest thing ever. Now planning to fake my death abroad after a few months. Cut all ties, no more alimony, no child support. Freedom!"

Sarah' s blood ran cold. Fake his death.

Mark was suddenly overly affectionate. He brought her flowers, praised her cooking, played endlessly with Lily.

He was also doting on his parents, John and Mary.

They were a retired, kind-hearted couple. John, a former union mechanic, Mary, a one-time school secretary. They adored Sarah and Lily.

Mark was ensuring his "temporary" separation went smoothly with everyone.

They went through with the legal separation. It felt surreal, signing those papers.

Mark packed. He told John and Mary it was a two-year assignment in the Cayman Islands.

He gave Lily a tearful goodbye, promising to bring back presents.

Before he left for the airport, Sarah checked their joint savings account.

Empty.

The $30,000 they had saved was gone.

Mark had mentioned needing some for "setup costs" abroad. He'd taken all of it.

Sarah closed her laptop, a grim smile on her face.

For years, ever since she' d suspected Mark might be unhappy or just weak, she had been quietly building her own fund.

An "escape" fund, she' d called it in her head. Over $100,000, carefully saved from bonuses before she quit, and some small freelance marketing gigs.

Mark knew nothing about it.

A week after Mark left, Sarah logged into an old, rarely used social media account. Mark had set it up years ago, thinking it was private. She knew the password.

There was one new photo.

A man's hand, unmistakably Mark's with his unique birthmark, intertwined with a woman's hand, manicured nails painted bright red.

Location tag: A beach bar in the Caribbean.

The caption: "Paradise found. #NewBeginnings #NoRegrets."

Jessica, his younger colleague. Sarah had seen her at a company picnic once.

So, the online confession was true. Every sickening word.