Amelia, moments before hysterical, stopped
crying. She stammered, “Y–yes…of course…”
Mark slapped the report against her face. “Then
explain how we have these blood types and
produced that child?” He looked like a cornered
animal.
<
8:36
I almost laughed. Amelia blurted, “They must
have switched the babies! It happens!”
864
Mark kicked her to the floor. “I was there! You
never let him out of your sight! Switched
babies? Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Terrified or remorseful, Amelia finally
confessed. “Mark, believe me, it was just that
one time….. I got pregnant…..”
“Who?!”
“I…I don’t know his name. He was…..a male
escort…from the club…”
I actually laughed. Mark’s perfect Amelia,
spending his money on escorts. He forced the
name of the club from her, and had a nurse call.
The cheerful voice on the other end chirped,
“Amelia’s a VIP! Honey, I’ll give you a discount,
just for her! Ask her which guy you want. She’s
<
tried them all!”
Mark snatched the phone, hurling it at Amelia’s
head. Then he started kicking her, focusing on
her abdomen. Blood, mixed with postpartum
discharge, stained the floor. “You like it rough?
How’s this?” His last kick left her pale and
gasping.
The hospital staff watched, silent. No one
wanted to cross the powerful CEO, and
besides, it was a domestic dispute, Amelia’s
fault. Until Mark grabbed a scalpel. Alex started
forward, then glanced at me. I was watching,
detached. He stopped, and we became
spectators.
Mark stabbed Amelia repeatedly, muttering,
“You cheated on me! You killed my daughter!
You made me a laughingstock!”
I watched, numb. Lily, the woman who hurt you
is dead. Then, I called the police.
Mark dropped the knife and turned to me, blood
splattered on his face. Alex shielded me. “Whet
now?”
Mark seemed to snap out of his frenzy, his eyes
filled with…sadness? “Sarah, Amelia’s gone. I
know I wronged you, wronged Lily. But I’m
sorry. Let’s start over.” He reached for me. I
slapped his hand away.
“You don’t deserve that. You betrayed us, and
now you’re a murderer.”
Mark brightened. “Sarah, don’t worry. This is my hospital. No one will say anything. People die here all the time. We’ll just…take care of it. We can be happy again. We can have more children. Sons, daughters…I’ll love them all.”
“You had two chances. You failed both times.
Whose fault is that?”
I knew he’d been reborn too. He’d anticipated
<
my refusal to give Amelia blood, just like before.
That’s why he was so sure about Lily. He’d
remembered her survival and focused only on
Amelia. That’s when I truly gave up.
Mark stared at me, comprehension dawning.
“You meant it…about leaving with Lily…”
“I always meant what I said. You’re the liar, so
you assume everyone else is too. Not everyone
is as selfish and arrogant as you.”
The police swarmed in. Mark looked shocked. I
smiled. “I called them.”
With the evidence, even his lawyers couldn’t
save him. After giving my statement, I filed for
divorce. It was quick, given the circumstances. I
got my share of St. Joseph’s, the house,
everything. I sold it all, taking the massive
payout and moving to a new city, recreating my
life from scratch. The losses didn’t matter. I
had enough for several lifetimes. All I cared
about was severing every tie to Mark.
Alex saw me off at the airport. “Will you ever
come back?”
“No. No family here, no good memories. No
reason to return.”
“Be happy,” he said.
“If I’m not, I’ll just find another city.” I smiled.
“Thank you. If you hadn’t gotten that blood, I
would have died at St. Joseph’s.”
>
He shook his head. “I should be apologizing. I
was blind. Friends with that monster for years. I
almost killed you because I believed him. St.
Joseph’s is gone, by the way. After you posted
the videos, the whole company collapsed.”
After the divorce, I’d released everything.
Mark’s affair, Lily’s death, Amelia’s lies, the
bastard child. He became a pariah, a
<
laughingstock. I’d known that would happen.
“Sorry you lost your job.” I meant it. He’d saved
my life.
Alex shrugged. “I wouldn’t work for that soum
anyway. They sentenced him, by the way.
Manslaughter for Lily, murder for Amelia.
assault for what he did to you…he’s going away
for a long time. Death would have been too
kind. He wanted to see you. The police
contacted you, but you refused. Then he asked
me to talk to you. He’s…not doing well. He
begged me to ask you to see him. I figured you
wouldn’t, so I waited until now.”
I nodded. “You called him scum. I don’t
associate with scum.”
Alex grinned. “Scum belongs in the trash.”
held up my boarding pass. “Goodbye.” I didn’t look back. I walked away, lighter with every
look back. I walked away, lighter with every
step, into a brand new life.
