Chapter 3

A few days later, the phone rang. It was Mary, Mark' s mother, her voice frantic.

"Sarah, it's John! He' s had a stroke, a bad one!"

Sarah rushed to the hospital. John was in critical condition.

Mary was distraught, trying to reach Mark.

"His phone, it' s disconnected! It just goes straight to a 'number not in service' message!"

The next day, Mary called Mark' s company.

The HR department was polite but firm. "Mrs. Patterson, Mark resigned from his position over a month ago. He is no longer an employee here."

Mary was stunned. She came to Sarah' s house, her face pale with confusion and fear.

"Sarah, what is going on? Mark quit his job? His phone..."

Sarah took a deep breath. It was time.

She let tears well in her eyes, genuine ones this time, for the pain this would cause these good people.

"Mary," she began, her voice trembling. "Mark... Mark told me the job was a lie. He said he needed the separation to... to be with someone else."

She recounted the "fake separation" story, hinted at an affair, and then, the emptied bank account.

"He took all our savings, Mary. Thirty thousand dollars."

John's medical bills were already piling up. He needed specialized care.

"Don't worry about the money, Mary," Sarah said, taking the older woman's hand. "I... I sold some old family jewelry I had. It was just sitting there. John needs this."

She transferred a large sum from her secret fund to cover the initial hospital costs.

Mary stared at her, Mark' s betrayal dawning on her, raw and ugly. Then she looked at Sarah, at the sacrifice Sarah was seemingly making.

Her eyes, usually so kind, flashed with a cold fury Sarah had never seen.

Then, Mary pulled Sarah into a fierce hug.

"That... that boy is no son of ours," Mary choked out, her voice thick with emotion. "You, Sarah. You' re the only child we have now."

Sarah held her tight. The shift was palpable.