The Mistress and the Child
Damien stopped the car and waited while she entered the pharmacy. After half an hour, he was still waiting, growing increasingly worried, and finally went inside. He saw Sarah talking to a couple, crouching down to pinch their little girl's cheeks. The scene was instantly heart-warming. Imagine if I could have a child with Sarah... She would make a great mother. And our kids would look so cute... His reverie was broken when an elderly woman bumped him with her stick.
Elderly woman: Are you going in or out? You can't just stand at the entrance.
Damien: I'm sorry, I'm going in.
Sarah noticed him as he approached her.
Damien: I was worried about you, so I came inside.
The couple with the child smiled at each other. "Valery saw Sarah and clung to her," the woman said. "She's usually shy around people, but she likes your wife."
Sarah: We're... Just as she was about to say they weren't a couple, Damien interrupted her. He crouched down and turned to the little girl. "Valery, I can't blame you, because, let me tell you a little secret... I like her too. In fact, I love her." He then showed the little girl to keep it a secret. The girl shyly smiled and hid behind her mother, her eyes never leaving Damien.
Sarah thought, Damien will make a great dad someday... Too bad those kids won't be ours.
The woman smiled and said, "Your husband is a good man. You two seem to have a loving relationship." Sarah wanted to correct her, but Damien quickly said, "Thank you, I do love her." Sarah looked at him; he was genuinely proud and happy, grinning like a child.
The silence filled the car. Moments of honesty, passion, guilt, and grief swirled in Sarah's mind. She finally spoke, "You should have corrected her. We're not a couple. What if they recognize you from the press and call me a mistress?" The word stung Damien like bee venom. He remained silent the entire way home.
The Final Confrontation
Sarah retreated to her room, leaving Damien in the living room. Her painful words echoed in his head: "You should have corrected her... What if they recognize you... and call me a mistress?" She wasn't a mistress; she was the woman he loved. He just couldn't publicly announce it.
He went upstairs and heard the water running in the shower. The sound instantly triggered the memory of their passionate encounter in that same shower. Now, it felt like that night had been months ago, and ever since, she'd been hiding from him, running away.
He sat on the bed and noticed the bag of pills beside him. He picked up a bottle, read the label, took a picture, and sent it to his assistant, asking for identification. His assistant, Jones, replied: birth control pills.
Birth control pills? Damien's anger surged. She went to buy birth control pills? And I drove her to the pharmacy. He felt like an idiot. Does she hate me so much that she's afraid she'll get pregnant by me? She wouldn't even consider keeping my child...
Sarah opened the bathroom door and exhaled painfully, seeing him with the bottle. She reached for it, but he held it away.
Sarah: Give me the pills, Damien. She tried to take it, but he grasped her hand. "Sarah, if you get pregnant, I promise I'll give you anything you want."
Sarah: Anything I want?
Damien: Yes.
Sarah: Will you give me a ring, a name, a title? Give me the pills, Damien.
Damien took her in his arms and kissed her, but Sarah instantly stepped away and slapped him. She was shocked by her own action, and he was stunned.
Sarah: Do you want our child to be born as your illegitimate child? Do you think that would make your wife and future children happy?
Damien: Sarah...
Anger, quickly mixed with profound regret, etched deep lines on his face. He hated their situation. He hated himself for being unable to promise her any of those things. He threw the bottle onto the floor, scattering the pills everywhere, and stormed out, slamming the door. He walked a few steps but returned, stopping in front of her door. He heard her sobbing inside. He sank to the floor, resting his head against the wall opposite her room.
Inside, Sarah had crumpled to the floor, weeping uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face. Through her sobs, she whispered, "Do you think I don't want your child? Our child? I do, Damien, I do, but I don't want me and my child to burden you. I don't want you to blame us later..."
Damien heard her words. He yearned to go back, to hug and comfort her, but he felt paralyzed by his powerlessness.
He thought: Maybe I should let her go. Then she wouldn't suffer because of me. I'm used to living with pain—what's another shattered illusion, another broken dream of happiness, another heartache? I can carry it, just like I carry everything else... But Sarah, she can't. She mustn't. She deserves someone who can give her everything I can't. I should let her go... He got up and left.
When he reached his car, he took out his phone and called Mrs. Blue, telling her she could return tonight to take good care of Sarah.