Chapter 2

Tiffany was babbling, something about Lily being clumsy, about it not being her fault. Her voice was a distant, irritating buzz.

Mark arrived, his face a mask of annoyance that slowly morphed into something unreadable as he took in the scene. He looked at Lily, then at Tiffany, then at Sarah.

His first words were not to Sarah, not about Lily. He put a hand on Tiffany' s arm. "It's okay, Tiff. It was an accident."

Then, he turned to Sarah, his voice devoid of any warmth. "We can try again. Tiffany could even carry it for you, if you're not up to it."

The words hit Sarah with the force of a physical blow. Another child? As if Lily was a broken toy to be replaced. As if Tiffany, the abuser, could ever be a mother to her child.

In that instant, something inside Sarah snapped. The fog of PPD, the years of quiet suffering, the crushing weight of her loveless marriage – it all coalesced into a single point of cold, hard clarity.

"The deal is over, Mark," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "My father' s company, your family' s social standing, whatever it was. Lily paid for it. She paid our debt in full."

Mark looked taken aback, a flicker of surprise in his cold eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I want a divorce."

He started to speak, probably to argue, to threaten, but Sarah turned away. She walked over to where Lily lay, a profound, aching emptiness consuming her.

Later, after the police and paramedics had come and gone, after the sterile questions and the hushed whispers, Sarah found herself facing Eleanor Hamilton, Mark's mother. The matriarch, cold and calculating, had arrived like a queen surveying a minor disturbance in her realm.

Sarah didn't wait for Eleanor to speak. "I'm divorcing Mark."

Eleanor' s perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose. "Don't be hysterical, Sarah. It was a tragic accident."

"It was neglect," Sarah stated, her voice flat. "It was abuse. And he let it happen."

Mark tried to interject, "Sarah, you're not thinking clearly. The shock..."

"I've never thought more clearly in my life," Sarah cut him off. She looked him straight in the eye. "You are free, Mark. Go have your life with Tiffany. Go have more children if you want. But you will never, ever, have anything to do with me again."

He tried to argue then, his voice rising. "You can't just walk away! What about your father? The agreement..."

"My father will understand," Sarah said. "And any agreement was paid for today. With my daughter's life."

She felt a wild urge to scream, to hit something, to shatter the perfect, cold composure of this family. She saw Tiffany cowering slightly behind Mark. Sarah took a step towards her.

"You," Sarah hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "You did this."

She didn't know what she would have done, but Mark stepped in front of Tiffany, shielding her. "Stay away from her, Sarah! It was an accident!"

He grabbed Tiffany' s arm, pulling her closer to him, his back to Sarah. Abandoning her completely, even now.

The fight drained out of Sarah, replaced by a chilling emptiness. It was done. Truly done.

She turned back to Eleanor. "I will contact my lawyer tomorrow."