Chapter 7 - Words in the Rain
Ethan rose to his feet unsteadily, stepping forward with his hands outstretched like a beggar. “Claire betrayed me. She set me up! She lied about everything, Natalie! I was blinded, I was stupid, but it was always you. You’re the only person who ever truly loved me.”
Natalie stood perfectly still under her umbrella, watching the man she had loved for a decade humiliate himself.
“You’re wrong, Ethan,” she said softly, her voice carrying over the sound of rain drumming against the pavement. “Claire didn't set you up. She just mirrored who you really are. You used her just like you used me. The only difference is that she beat you at your own game.”
“We can start over!” Ethan pleaded, tears streaming down his wet cheeks. “We can sell this place, move upstate, leave New York behind. I’ll make it up to you every day for the rest of my life. Remember our trip to Florence? Remember our promises?”
“Those promises died the second you invited another woman into our bed,” Natalie replied, unwavering. “You aren't crying because you broke my heart, Ethan. You’re crying because your mistress betrayed you, your firm fired you, and your money is gone. You don't miss me. You miss your comfort.”
Ethan’s expression hardened, the pathetic mask slipping for a brief second to reveal his bitter resentment. “You think you’re so righteous! You’re already moving on with that architect, aren't you? Julian Vance! You were probably planning this before you even caught me!”
Natalie shook her head, feeling an overwhelming sense of liberation. “Think whatever lies help you sleep at night. But your keys are revoked, your belongings are in a paid storage unit in Queens, and if you step onto this property again, the restraining order will send you straight to jail before your federal trial even begins.”
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She bypassed him effortlessly, walked up the brownstone steps, unlocked the heavy oak door, stepped inside, and closed it firmly behind her.
Through the frosted glass, she watched his silhouette linger under the streetlamp for several minutes before finally turning away into the dark, rainy night. Natalie locked the deadbolt, rested her forehead against the cool wood, took a deep breath, and felt the final invisible chains of her past shatter into dust.
