Our future. The words were a sick joke. In my past life, those same words had conned me into draining my savings, my inheritance, everything. I had covered the five million he had embezzled from his company. He had used it to buy a lavish diamond necklace, the 'Star of the Ocean,' for his mistress, Brittany Hayes.
This time, there would be no saving him.
"Sarah? Did you hear me? It's important."
I took a slow breath, the air in my lungs feeling new and clean. I was really back.
"No," I said, my voice clear and steady.
"What do you mean, no? Sarah, this is for us!"
"I mean no, Mark. I don't have the money."
I hung up before he could argue. My hands were shaking, but not from fear. It was the thrill of a second chance. I immediately looked up the number for his company's internal audit department. I typed out a short, anonymous email detailing the exact accounts Mark had used to siphon the funds. I knew them by heart. I had spent a year working extra jobs to pay back the loans I took to cover for him last time.
An hour later, my phone lit up with a call from a colleague, Linda.
"Sarah! Have you heard? Mark was just taken away by the police! They said it's about embezzlement! You have to do something, you're his fiancée!"
Her voice was frantic. In my past life, I would have been just as panicked, rushing to his side, ready to sacrifice everything.
I let out a small, fake sob. "Oh my god, Linda. I don't know what to do. What could I possibly do?"
"You have to bail him out! Talk to his bosses! He wouldn't do something like this!"
"I... I'll try," I whispered, then ended the call.
I sat on my bed, the quiet of the apartment a stark contrast to the storm I had just unleashed. I remembered it all so clearly. After I had saved him the first time, his parents, the Johnsons, were so grateful. They had always been kind to me. They pushed for our marriage, believing I was the steady, reliable woman their son needed.
Mark had agreed, but he resented me for it. He felt trapped. He told me to my face, years later, that I had used the incident to force him into a life he never wanted. He carried on his affair with Brittany in secret, lavishing her with gifts bought with the money I earned.
The deepest cut was our daughter, Lily. He and Brittany slowly poisoned her mind against me. They made her believe Brittany was her "real" mother, the fun, beautiful mother, while I was just the boring, strict woman who was always working.
The memory of the earthquake was seared into my soul. The ground shook, the building groaned and then collapsed. My last act was to push Mark and Lily into a space under a heavy desk, taking the full impact of a falling concrete beam myself.
I was pinned, bleeding, but alive. I could hear them on the other side. I heard the rescue workers calling out.
"There's no one else here!" my daughter, my sweet Lily, had screamed. "It's just us! Get us out!"
Mark didn't correct her. He didn't say my name.
Then I heard Brittany's voice, her phone miraculously working. "Are you two okay? Is she...?"
"We're fine," Mark had said, his voice filled with a relief that wasn't for me. "We're finally free."
They celebrated their freedom while I lay dying, my daughter calling another woman "Mom." The rescue efforts moved on. I died alone, choking on dust and despair.
Now, I was back. Back to the day it all started.
I looked at my phone. A text from Mark's mother. Sarah, dear, please call me. We are so worried.
I deleted it.
Then, a formal notification from my lawyer. Mark had listed me as his emergency contact and legal representative. I instructed my lawyer to formally reject the role.
I packed a small bag. I walked to the bank and withdrew a small amount of cash. Then I went to the precinct. I didn' t go inside. I just stood across the street, watching.
After about an hour, I saw Brittany Hayes arrive in a flurry of drama, her face a mask of tear-streaked concern. She was beautiful, an actress in her own soap opera.
I smiled. This time, Sarah Miller wasn't paying the bill. Let's see if your true love will save you, Mark.
I turned and walked away, not looking back. I had a week before he' d get out on bail, assuming Brittany or his parents could scrape it together.
A week to disappear from his life completely.