Ch49 - Sarah

Steven slowly glanced around the kitchen before fixing his gaze on Sarah. She knew she'd made him mad, and now she worried about the consequences. Taking another long pull on his beer, Steven took his time, looking her up and down.

A chill crawled up her spine as she realized he was sizing her up. But for what?

Sarah watched carefully as he took another drink, swishing the liquid around in his mouth before swallowing. He was playing games. Sarah recognized the look in his eyes—she had seen it many times before. He was trying to intimidate her.

Steven took a step closer, swallowing the remaining beer in his bottle. "Mmm, that tasted good, Sarah. I can't believe I've deprived myself of so many things, in order to be a better and stronger man. " He gave her a demented grin and set the empty bottle down on the counter. "How silly of me—I've been missing out ." From the corner of her eye, she kept the glass in her sight.

Where is Charlie? Sarah worried. On one hand, she was afraid he would walk in unsuspecting and make matters worse. On the other hand, he might be able to take control of the situation. All she knew was that she could not let him get hurt at the hands of her crazy husband. She would never be able to forgive herself.

Steven took another step closer and she felt herself cringe.

"What's the matter, baby? Do I make you nervous? Do you think I'm gonna hurt you?" he sneered. "You should know I would never hurt you, Sarah—or is it Talia? We never did clear that up."

"You're crazy," Sarah responded, unable to stop herself. She was trapped, just like Steven wanted her to be. Just like she had been since the day she'd married him. If she ran, he would quickly catch her, making the punishment that much worse.

"Now, that's not very nice. Especially after I worried about you so," Steven sing-songed. She could tell he was enjoying their reunion a little too much. "You're untimely death haunted me—I was devastated. The thought of you perishing in that fire was almost too much for me to bear," he said with exaggerated sadness.

"In case you're curious, I gave you the most beautiful funeral. All of our friends were there, and they were so sorry to hear of your passing," he said with fake sincerity.

"I don't have any friends," she retorted, coldly. "You never let me, remember? You never allowed me to do anything."

Steven smiled sadistically. "I beg to differ. It seems as if you had a very active social life—one I was completely unaware of. In fact, I met one of your friends at the funeral," he enunciated carefully. "Someone you failed to mention before."

Sarah could feel her blood run cold. What was he talking about?

"You look surprised. Did you think I wouldn't find out?" he asked with arched eyebrows. "Oh, what was her name again?" Steven feigned confusion, his hand on his chin as if in deep thought. "Ah, yes. Jamie Peterson—your self defense instructor." He studied her carefully, gauging her response. She fought hard not to give him the satisfaction.

With a disgusted huff, Steven continued, "After I discovered your indiscretions, I searched for you. Tirelessly. And now I've finally found you. Only, you don't seem happy to see me," he mocked, cocking his head to the side.

Sarah took a deep breath. She needed to stall him. "Actually, Steven, I am happy to see you," she said, forcing a small smile. "I think we need to talk."

It was apparent she had caught him off guard, he hadn't expected her to want to talk. He'd expected her to want to run. In fact, he had counted on it, she could see it in his menacing gaze. But she wasn't playing his games, not any more. She had fought too hard to break away from the tight grasp he'd had on her—there was no way she was turning back now.

"You weren't very nice to me. You were not a nice husband at all," Sarah said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "You hurt me, over and over again. It was a sick game for you, forcing me to obey all of your rules."

"You're delusional, Sarah. I never hurt you. I taught you how to be a proper wife—a proper woman. Without my guidance, you would be nothing. You are nothing," he spit out at her. "My mother warned me about girls like you. She said no girl would ever be good enough for me, and she was right. I've disappointed her." Steven choked back a sob. "She wanted nothing but the best for me, and I settled for you." He teetered slightly on his feet, the alcohol catching up with him. Steven never had been a drinker, he worried too much about what he put into his body. He wasn't used to having beer in his system, and Sarah knew this might work toward her advantage.

"You're right, Steven. I'm not good enough for you. I never was and I'm sorry," she began. "You deserve better. Would you like another drink? I'll get it for you...if you want me to."

She watched his reaction carefully, knowing she could read him better than anyone. Sensing his hesitation, she slowly walked toward the refrigerator and pulled out another beer. She handed it over to him, "Would you please open it? I'm just not strong enough to turn the cap."

Sarah saw amusement flash through his eyes as he accepted the bottle. She knew Steven thought she was weak and couldn't fend for herself. But he was wrong.

She crossed the small kitchen, standing close to the first bottle he had drank that now sat empty on the counter. Steven followed her every move. She could tell he was confused by her actions, not knowing what she would do next. It must have been such a shock for him to hear her voice her opinion, as she had never been strong enough to do so before.

"Thank you for working with me, Steven," Sarah continued. "I appreciate you taking the time to try to make me a better person, a better wife for you. I'm sorry I wasn't more receptive to your teachings."

She watched as anguish worked it's way across Steven's face. "We were going to have a baby," he slurred slightly, twisting the top off and taking a long drink from the bottle.

This statement caught her off guard. She had no idea what he was talking about. "We were?" she asked, gently.

"Yes, we were," he stated, anger consuming his voice once more. "I was going to tell you that weekend, several months ago. But you ruined it. You set our house on fire and then disappeared. You lied. You tried to make a fool out of me." Steven raised the bottle to his lips and took another long pull.

Sarah prayed he would continue drinking. Maybe by the time Charlie walked in, Steven would be too incapacitated to fight. It was the only plan she had.

"You ruined everything!" he shouted, walking toward her. He pushed his body into hers, forcing her back up against the counter. Drinking down the last of his beer, Steven threw the empty bottle across the room and it crashed against the wall, shattering into several pieces. "What kind of games are you trying to play with me?"

"I'm not playing games, Steven," Sarah pleaded, turning her face away from the fumes of the beer, wafting from his breath. "I'm trying to make it up to you."

"You can't make it up to me, Sarah! Not any more. Way too much has taken place for us to ever go back to how things were. How would I explain to everyone what happened? How you're suddenly alive? It would be obvious what you did, how you tried to run out on me." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"Steven, please!" Sarah screamed as the familiar feeling of fear took over her body. "I'm sorry!"

A sudden change of emotion flickered across his face. "Is this his fault? Did he make you do it?" Steven demanded, referring to Charlie. "If this was all of his doing, I might be able to forgive you. We could tell everyone that you were kidnapped and forced to leave our home—that you had nothing to do with the fire."

Sarah swallowed hard as Steven kept her chin still in his hand. She could feel the creeping sensation of burning as his fingers grasped her tightly, not allowing her to move.

"Tell me it was all his fault and I'll let you live," Steven breathed.

"No!" she shouted without hesitation. Sarah used all of her strength to push away from Steven, catching him off guard. "Charlie had nothing to do with it! I left you because I hate you! You're a monster! You kept me prisoner in our home for so long, treating me like your puppet! I want nothing to do with you!"

Steven stumbled backward, giving Sarah enough time to bring the heel of her hand up sharply against his jaw. She turned and started to run toward the living room, trying to make it to the front door before he regained his footing. She wasn't sure where she would go, but anywhere was safer than where she was.

Steven lunged toward her, grabbing on to her and causing them both to crash onto the floor. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?" he screamed. "I told you not to run!"

He straddled her body, struggling to catch her wrists in his hands. Sarah turned her head toward the side and her eyes caught sight of the broken beer bottle, lying next to her. If she could just reach out her arm, she might be able to grasp it.

But Steven followed her gaze and let out an ill-humored laugh, "Go ahead. I dare you to try."

Sarah brought her knee up as hard as she could, catching Steven square in the groin. He doubled over in pain, allowing her enough time grab the jagged piece of glass and bury it deep in his eye.

She fought the threat of vomit as crimson liquid fell from Steven's wound onto her face. A demonic noise, unlike any thing she had heard before, escaped from his mouth. Despite his injury, Steven kept fighting, somehow managing to grab her arms, pinning them down with his knees.

"Don't do this, Steven! You'll never get away with it..."

But Steven wasn't listening. He wrapped his long, cold fingers around her neck and began to squeeze, harder and harder, until her vision started to blur and blackness began to take over.

"Until death do us part," she heard Steven murmur.

Sarah's senses fogged over as she began to drift into unconsciousness. She barely heard the sound of the gunshot as it resonated throughout the house.

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Please turn the page for the FINAL CHAPTER of The Secret! But don't forget to vote and comment first if you like what you have read so far! 

This chapter I would like to dedicate to @zoedinovi for being so nice and supportive, and for including me in WP in a way I never expected—thank you!