Chapter 2

Ethan came home late that night, smelling of Chloe' s cloying perfume. It was a scent I' d come to recognize, a constant reminder.

He tried to kiss me. I turned my head.

His face tightened. "What now, Sarah?"

"Nothing, Ethan. I' m tired."

He sighed, a put-upon sound he' d perfected. "Look, I know things have been... tense."

Tense. An affair that had spanned three years, flaunted, barely concealed, was "tense."

"I was thinking," he continued, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket, "maybe a trip? Just us? Remember Paris?"

He opened the box. A diamond necklace. Ostentatious. Guilt offering number, what, fifty?

I looked at it, then at him. "No, thank you."

"Sarah, don' t be like this. I' m trying here."

"Trying what, Ethan? To buy my silence? My complicity?"

His eyes flashed with anger. "There you go again. Always assuming the worst. Can' t I just want to do something nice for my wife?"

My wife. The words felt hollow, a lie.

I walked away, towards the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" he called after me.

"To pack a few things," I said.

His face changed. Fear flickered there. "Pack? What are you talking about?"

"I need some space, Ethan. I' m going to the vineyard for a few days."

It was a lie, partly. I was going to the vineyard, but not for space from him in the way he thought. I was going to retrieve my last personal items.

He followed me. "The vineyard? Why? We can talk here."

"I don' t want to talk, Ethan. I want to be alone."

He grabbed my arm. His grip was tight. "You' re not leaving me."

It wasn' t a question. It was a statement of ownership.

I pulled my arm away. "Don' t touch me."

My voice was cold, devoid of the fire it once held. That fire had burned out long ago, leaving only ashes.

He saw the finality in my eyes, or perhaps the emptiness. He backed off, running a hand through his hair.

"Fine. Go. But we' re talking when you get back."

I didn' t answer. There would be no "when I get back" for him.

The next day, I met with lawyers. Finalizing the asset liquidation. It was a complex process, but money smoothed many paths.

My phone buzzed. Ethan. I ignored it.

Another buzz. A text. "Chloe' s company is throwing a gala tonight. I have to make an appearance. Wish you were here. Xo"

The "Xo" was a new, particularly insulting touch.

I pictured him, Chloe on his arm, smiling for cameras. The rising star of Silicon Valley and his ambitious new companion.

It used to tear me apart. Now, it was just data. Information confirming my decision.

The Guide had said my "death" in this world was required. I wondered how it would happen. An accident? A sudden illness?

Or something more direct?

The thought didn' t scare me. Freedom had a price.