1 • SARAH
17 years ago.
Sarah choked on her tears. The pressure in her chest was building up with each words that came out of the other side of the call. She sobbed harder when she glanced at the pictures the second time.
"It couldn't be him. I don't think so, Syd. Your investigators might have mistook someone else to be Alex. No, It can't be him," she said to her sister sniffling and coughing.
"Believe me Sar, it is indeed him. I too saw it with my own eyes. How many times should I tell you to leave him? He is a cheater and a hopeless case, Sarah! Tell him to get lost!" Sydney insisted.
"How can you say something like that? He is the father of my children! Now hear me or not, I won't leave him until I see it with my own eyes. Is there any chance that there won't be someone like Alex?"
"Sarah, I-"
"I don't think he'll cheat over me because that isn't what you do to some you love! He cares for me, treats me well and we have children whom he adores dearly so and so." Sarah's rope of faith was choking her, twisting and knotting around her throat but she held to it tightly.
"But... if he is caught red-hand, I'll leave at that exact moment with my kids and get separated from him. End of the story."
The call ended with a sigh of intolerance. Her sister had been urging her to leave him since the moment she introduced him to Sidney. Something about his eyes and the way they shift around quickly like a fox, she said that day but Sarah shrugged her off.
He's just taking in everything, Sarah replied rather awkwardly because she too noticed it about him. His brown skin and oddly colored eyes that made him look like an outcast and a troublemaker but there wasn't anything about him that she hated or despised particularly. She liked his quirks. It was endearing and so... Him.
And now that she had gave it a little time to think about, there had been some doubts, lies and arguments but Sarah couldn't---didn't put two and two together. Every late nights with the silly excuses, drunk and sloppy evenings; sudden loss of temper and, quick, meaningless apologies and empty promises had finally led to that midnight call from her vigilante sister and that empty bottle of wine on the table.
And yet, Sarah refused to believe her sister, even though the evidence was right infront of her eyes. She paced back and forth in the living room stealing glances at the pictures each time she walked past them.
"There's no way," she murmured under her breath, chewing away at her fingernails.
Sarah grew impatient as she waited for her beloved husband to get home so she could finally confirm the news and sort things out.
She twirled the empty wine glass between her fingers and compared the two parties in her mind. Sydney, her younger sister had always been so smart, rational and stone cold; an absolute brave heart whereas Alex had been a people's person, responsible, mischievous and gentle. They were different, yet somehow similar.
A dry scoff left her mouth in realisation. Of course, the two were similar!
Their smartness and strength had it's own negative sides.
The slyness and mental agility. Cunning and secretive. Sarah could barely imagine it earlier, but right then, it was clear as a cloudless day. Sydney could always tell by the tone of the speaker's voice whether they were lying or not; if they were hiding something or not. Well, it takes one to know one.
Now that she's comparing them, while waiting for the latter to get home, the line between their differences had started to blur. Sydney disappeared and appeared as she pleased, like a bunny that's disappeared into the magician's hat, long gone to somewhere until it's time for the final act of the trick: the come back. It didn't matter where thr bunny went as long as it was back at the end. What did Sydney even do for a living? Why was she tailing him in thr first place?
She started at the telephone ringing. The ruffling of bedsheets were heard and she knew one of her children or maybe both woke at the alarming sound echoing through their old Victorian house.
Sarah weakly approached the telephone and picked up the reciever.
"Hullo, lovie."
Chills went down her spine. It's a woman behind the phone.
"Hullo? Alex, you there? Is your wife still awake? If it's not the right time, I'll call you later."
This was just the perfect time, thought Sarah to herself biting back the venom at the tip of her tongue.
"Who the hell is this?" She snapped, feeling her temper spiraling out of control. A little gasp followed by the clicking of heels echoed through the phone.
"Sarah?" The voice sounded confused and awkward. "Isn't Alex home yet?" She asked after clearing her throat.
"I want to know who the hell I'm speaking to! Care to tell?"
"Oh, I'm Natasha, Alex's... best model. Now, is he there or not? This call is not meant for you, darling," the voice---Natasha continued.
"He is not available at the moment," Sarah replied sharply; she suddenly calmed, the hamster inside her head running the wheel faster.
"Hey Natasha?"
"Yes?"
"How long have you been working at the Knight's?"
The other side went completely silent.
"5 months."
"Liar."
"Excuse me?" Natasha screeched loudly into the phone, so loud that Sarah had to hold the reciever at an arm's length away.
"You are lying. Not even his longest running models call Alex by his first name. And he lets you call him petnames? You want me to believe that bullshit?"
Light chuckles spilled out of the phone.
"You know, love, believe whatever you want, m'kay? Whether I'm lying or not, and whether you believe it or not, most of us call him by his name. Especially her. She gets to call him anything. Do anything. Anything as she pleases."
Sarah blinked in shock. "I'm sorry?"
"Apology accepted. Ask him to call me back when he's home. We've got business to deal with," said Natasha calmly before hanging up.
"Oh, this fucking cheater!" she screamed, grabbing the first thing she got her hands on, throwing it against the wall.
"If what she said is true---", she mumbled to herself picking up the shards of broken wine glass with her bare hands--- "A divorce it is, then."
Sarah choked on her tears. The pressure in her chest was building up with each words that came out of the other side of the call. She sobbed harder when she glanced at the pictures the second time.
"It couldn't be him. I don't think so, Syd. Your investigators might have mistook someone else to be Alex. No, It can't be him," she said to her sister sniffling and coughing.
"Believe me Sar, it is indeed him. I too saw it with my own eyes. How many times should I tell you to leave him? He is a cheater and a hopeless case, Sarah! Tell him to get lost!" Sydney insisted.
"How can you say something like that? He is the father of my children! Now hear me or not, I won't leave him until I see it with my own eyes. Is there any chance that there won't be someone like Alex?"
"Sarah, I-"
"I don't think he'll cheat over me because that isn't what you do to some you love! He cares for me, treats me well and we have children whom he adores dearly so and so." Sarah's rope of faith was choking her, twisting and knotting around her throat but she held to it tightly.
"But... if he is caught red-hand, I'll leave at that exact moment with my kids and get separated from him. End of the story."
The call ended with a sigh of intolerance. Her sister had been urging her to leave him since the moment she introduced him to Sidney. Something about his eyes and the way they shift around quickly like a fox, she said that day but Sarah shrugged her off.
He's just taking in everything, Sarah replied rather awkwardly because she too noticed it about him. His brown skin and oddly colored eyes that made him look like an outcast and a troublemaker but there wasn't anything about him that she hated or despised particularly. She liked his quirks. It was endearing and so... Him.
And now that she had gave it a little time to think about, there had been some doubts, lies and arguments but Sarah couldn't---didn't put two and two together. Every late nights with the silly excuses, drunk and sloppy evenings; sudden loss of temper and, quick, meaningless apologies and empty promises had finally led to that midnight call from her vigilante sister and that empty bottle of wine on the table.
And yet, Sarah refused to believe her sister, even though the evidence was right infront of her eyes. She paced back and forth in the living room stealing glances at the pictures each time she walked past them.
"There's no way," she murmured under her breath, chewing away at her fingernails.
Sarah grew impatient as she waited for her beloved husband to get home so she could finally confirm the news and sort things out.
She twirled the empty wine glass between her fingers and compared the two parties in her mind. Sydney, her younger sister had always been so smart, rational and stone cold; an absolute brave heart whereas Alex had been a people's person, responsible, mischievous and gentle. They were different, yet somehow similar.
A dry scoff left her mouth in realisation. Of course, the two were similar!
Their smartness and strength had it's own negative sides.
The slyness and mental agility. Cunning and secretive. Sarah could barely imagine it earlier, but right then, it was clear as a cloudless day. Sydney could always tell by the tone of the speaker's voice whether they were lying or not; if they were hiding something or not. Well, it takes one to know one.
Now that she's comparing them, while waiting for the latter to get home, the line between their differences had started to blur. Sydney disappeared and appeared as she pleased, like a bunny that's disappeared into the magician's hat, long gone to somewhere until it's time for the final act of the trick: the come back. It didn't matter where thr bunny went as long as it was back at the end. What did Sydney even do for a living? Why was she tailing him in thr first place?
She started at the telephone ringing. The ruffling of bedsheets were heard and she knew one of her children or maybe both woke at the alarming sound echoing through their old Victorian house.
Sarah weakly approached the telephone and picked up the reciever.
"Hullo, lovie."
Chills went down her spine. It's a woman behind the phone.
"Hullo? Alex, you there? Is your wife still awake? If it's not the right time, I'll call you later."
This was just the perfect time, thought Sarah to herself biting back the venom at the tip of her tongue.
"Who the hell is this?" She snapped, feeling her temper spiraling out of control. A little gasp followed by the clicking of heels echoed through the phone.
"Sarah?" The voice sounded confused and awkward. "Isn't Alex home yet?" She asked after clearing her throat.
"I want to know who the hell I'm speaking to! Care to tell?"
"Oh, I'm Natasha, Alex's... best model. Now, is he there or not? This call is not meant for you, darling," the voice---Natasha continued.
"He is not available at the moment," Sarah replied sharply; she suddenly calmed, the hamster inside her head running the wheel faster.
"Hey Natasha?"
"Yes?"
"How long have you been working at the Knight's?"
The other side went completely silent.
"5 months."
"Liar."
"Excuse me?" Natasha screeched loudly into the phone, so loud that Sarah had to hold the reciever at an arm's length away.
"You are lying. Not even his longest running models call Alex by his first name. And he lets you call him petnames? You want me to believe that bullshit?"
Light chuckles spilled out of the phone.
"You know, love, believe whatever you want, m'kay? Whether I'm lying or not, and whether you believe it or not, most of us call him by his name. Especially her. She gets to call him anything. Do anything. Anything as she pleases."
Sarah blinked in shock. "I'm sorry?"
"Apology accepted. Ask him to call me back when he's home. We've got business to deal with," said Natasha calmly before hanging up.
"Oh, this fucking cheater!" she screamed, grabbing the first thing she got her hands on, throwing it against the wall.
"If what she said is true---", she mumbled to herself picking up the shards of broken wine glass with her bare hands--- "A divorce it is, then."
