The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Leila turned off the light and lay down, but her mind kept drifting—where would Sarah take Sean? Back to their place? Or to her own apartment?

Sarah lived in the same complex. That had to be Sean’s doing, didn’t it? It was the only way it’d be convenient for him to pick her up and drop her off for work.

Leila had once believed Sean’s kindness toward her was love. But it wasn’t.

Sean had given Sarah not just his kindness, but his money, his support, his protection—everything he’d never given her, his actual wife.

Maybe Leila had the title of Mrs. Sinclair. But tonight at dinner, Sean wouldn’t even acknowledge he was married. And he didn’t show an ounce of remorse. Instead, he twisted the story and accused her of lying.

That wasn’t right. He was the liar.

Leila’s thoughts spiraled, but she kept telling herself not to cry. The divorce papers were already signed. It was just a matter of time now—just one final certificate to make it official.

Everything would be fine once she walked away from this mess. It would all be fine. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

...

Sarah had planned to take Sean back to her place—it’d be easier to do whatever she wanted without worrying about Leila showing up unannounced.

But as she helped him out of the car and steered him toward her building, saying, "Sean, it’s this way!" he kept staggering back toward his own front door.

She knew it. Sean was still attached to the place he’d shared with Leila. He’d had Sarah in his arms and still called out for his wife.

Sarah felt a flash of irritation, but there was no arguing with a drunk man. So she had no choice but to guide him back to his own apartment.

The moment she got him onto the couch, he grabbed her wrist. "Sarah... Sarah Lynch."

So he was asking for her now. That eased her frustration a little. She sat down beside him and asked, "What? Done asking for your wife now?"

The alcohol had fully taken hold—Sean was completely wasted, his head lolling against her shoulder. "You’re my wife," he murmured.

Sarah smirked and gave him a teasing push. "No, I’m not. Leila Jennings is your wife."

Sean’s brow furrowed, as if the name was taking too long to process. He didn’t answer for a long moment.

"Why did you marry Leila in the first place?"

"I was supposed to marry you," he said slowly, his voice thick with grievance. "But you left. You didn’t want me."

Sarah’s heart softened. She cupped his face. "I told you I’d come back, Sean."

"You didn’t talk to me about it."

"That was my grandfather’s decision. It happened too fast—I didn’t have time to tell you. He sent me away for the project. He did it for my future." She explained patiently. "I knew you were angry, but I couldn’t do anything about it. He wouldn’t let me come back halfway just to see you. But thanks to the money you sent me every month for the research, I didn’t have to bow to anyone."

"I told you," Sean said, "everything I earn is yours."

"Sean..." Sarah leaned in and brushed her lips against his. "Thank you."

His eyes went wide, and in the next moment, he was kissing her back. One kiss bled into another, and they tumbled together onto the couch.

...

The morning after, Sean woke up with a dull, pounding headache. Still half-conscious, he spoke out of habit. "Honey... sorry I drank that much again."

"Not now. Let me sleep a little longer." The voice beside him stirred—but it wasn’t Leila.

Sean went rigid. He turned his head and saw Sarah lying next to him, dozing quietly. That jolted him fully awake, and he sat up straight.

The movement roused Sarah. She rubbed her eyes and sat up too, clutching the blanket to her chest. "What’s wrong, Sean?"

His throat tightened. "Did we... last night?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "You were drunk. I couldn’t push you away."

He swung out of bed and dragged a hand down his face. He couldn’t bring himself to face what was right in front of him. He had slept with Sarah in the bed he’d shared with his wife. "I’m going to take a shower."

When he stepped out of the cold shower, Sarah was already fully dressed—though the marks on her neck were still visible. She looked at him with slightly flushed cheeks. "Sean, you were so... it felt like you hadn’t been with anyone in years."

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Sean looked down at her—the woman he’d dreamed about for years—and slowly hugged her back. "Leila and I never slept together."

"I know," she said, holding him tighter. "I’ve always been in your heart. And you’ve always been in mine. You’re my only one."

She lifted her face and kissed the corner of his lips. Sean finally smiled—but it faltered as a thought struck him. "Was Leila here last night?"

Sarah hated hearing that name. She tightened her grip, as if afraid he might slip away. "No. I don’t know where she went."

Sean suddenly pulled back and walked into the living room, searching for his phone. No calls. No messages.

His grip tightened around the phone until his knuckles went white.

"Sean, are you worried about her?" Sarah asked.

"Am I?" he said coldly. "She can go wherever she wants. She’s got nowhere else in this city anyway—either the orphanage or her mentor’s wife’s place."

"Sean... have you fallen for her?" Sarah stepped closer, her voice laced with hurt.

Sean took a breath. "Don’t read into it. I married her because she’s a good wife. That’s all." He pulled Sarah back into his arms, and she pressed a hand to his chest. "Then will you divorce her?"

Sean hesitated.

"I was joking," Sarah said quickly, her fingers tightening. "It’s enough that you have me in your heart."

"Of course I have you in my heart." Sean took her hand and kissed her fingers. "I’ll think about the divorce, okay? You know Leila. She graduated from a good school, but she doesn’t have a job to support herself. We’ve been married four years—I can’t just cut her loose like that."

A flicker of resentment passed through Sarah’s eyes, but her voice stayed soft. "I know you’re not that cruel, Sean. Sorry—I won’t bring it up again."

"Are you upset?" Sean asked gently.

She shook her head. "I was the one who left you first."

"Don’t bring that up anymore." Sean turned toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I’ll make you some pancakes."

Sarah nodded. Sean opened the fridge—and found it empty.

Leila had always handled the groceries. Only Leila knew what was stocked and where everything went. Just thinking about her made him irritable.

"Forget it. Let’s go out to eat," Sean said.

"Okay," Sarah said, looping her arm through his. She wasn’t surprised by the suggestion.

"But Sarah, you shouldn’t stay here anymore."

"Why?" Her smile faltered. "Are you asking me to stay away from you?"

"No." Sean shook his head. "I’ll buy a bigger place somewhere else. This complex isn’t good enough."

Sarah’s face lit up. "That’s wonderful. Thank you, Sean."

They walked right past a taxi—never noticing Leila inside. She had come back just to change her clothes, only to overhear that her husband, still legally married to her, was planning to buy a lavish apartment for another woman.