Chapter 6 - Confrontation and Separation
"Sarah... wait," Grant stammered, taking a step back as I pushed past him into the living room. "Let me explain."
"Explain what, Grant?" I threw the binder onto the coffee table. Papers spilled out across the glass top—bank transfers, betting slips, debt notices. "Explain how you gambled away forty thousand dollars of our children's savings?"
Brenda, the nanny, gasped from the kitchen corner where she was holding Jack.
"Brenda, please take the boys upstairs to the nursery for a moment," I said, keeping my eyes fixed on my husband.
"Yes, ma'am," Brenda whispered, quickly gathering the twins and hurrying up the stairs.
Once the door upstairs closed, Grant slammed his fist against the wall. "You searched my private drawers?!"
"Your private drawers?!" I laughed—a bitter, hysterical sound. "You stole from our children! You used our ten-year-old daughter as an unpaid babysitter so you could go meet bookies at a golf course! You lied to my face every single day for six months!"
"I was trying to win it back!" Grant yelled, his face contorting in desperation. "I got into a hole early this summer! I lost ten grand on a bad tournament, and Darren said I could double down to get it back! I was trying to fix it for us!"
"Fix it?!" I stepped right up to him, pointing a finger at his chest. "You didn't fix anything! You destroyed this family! You put our infants in physical danger! You terrified Hallie! You made her carry your disgusting secrets!"
"I love this family!" Grant cried out, tears filling his eyes. "I made a mistake, Sarah! A big mistake! But I can fix this! I'll get a full-time job, I'll go to counseling, I'll do whatever you want!"
"It's too late, Grant," I said quietly, the anger inside me suddenly settling into a heavy, absolute calm. "You need to pack your bags and leave."
Grant blinked, stunned. "What?"
"Pack your bags. Get out of my house."
"Sarah, you can't kick me out! This is my house too!"
"If you don't leave right now, Grant," I said, reaching for my phone, "I am calling Karen, and we are filing an emergency police report for child endangerment, financial fraud, and illegal gambling. I will have you served with a restraining order before dinner."
Grant stared at me, seeing the ice-cold determination in my eyes. He realized, for the first time in twelve years, that he couldn't manipulate his way out of this.
May you like
He swallowed hard, his shoulders slumping in total defeat. "Fine," he whispered. "Fine."
An hour later, Grant dragged two suitcases out to his car. He didn't look at me as he backed down the driveway and drove away into the afternoon rain.
