The party had been fun at first, but it was now hours into the New Year and Sara was tired. She'd had her fill of champagne, so she made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. As she stepped through the door, she startled a couple in a lover's embrace. "Excuse me," she said and was just about to turn around when she found herself staring into the guilty eyes of her husband, Bob. Her stomach lurched as his astonished expression changed into one of relief, and at that moment Sara knew her marriage had ended. Before a word could be said, Sara backed out of the room.
She couldn't breathe. She had to get out. The remaining party goers ignored her as she ran through the apartment and out into the hall. She pounded on the elevator button as if she was being pursued by a crazed killer. When the elevator finally arrived and there was still no sign of Bob, she felt immediate relief but then a great surge of anger overwhelmed her. Her fingers shook as she pushed the button for the lobby. The doorman was kind enough to call her a cab and fussed at her for not having a coat. She hadn't bothered to retrieve it before rushing out of the apartment. At least she had her purse with her.
Once in the cab, The driver asked where she wanted to go. She looked at the man in confusion. At first she thought about going to a hotel, but no, that would be cowardly. "Come on, lady, I ain't got all night," the driver prodded impatiently. She gave him her address.
As she rode up the elevator to their apartment, the walls seemed to close in around her. She thought she would faint, but the doors finally parted, and she ran to her door, fumbling in her evening bag for the keys. The next thing she remembered was hanging her head over the toilet bowl, thankful to have controlled the nausea until then. She washed her face with cold water, put on her robe, poured herself a shot of Glenlevit, and waited.
His key finally turned in the lock, and the door slowly opened. He slid in and closed the door behind him. "Sara?" he ventured.
"I'm here," came her reply from the darkness, sounding flat and lifeless.
He flipped on the light, "Why are you sitting in the dark?" he asked foolishly, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
She glared at him, her stare hard and cold until he turned away. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this-I was going to wait until after the holidays to tell you."