Chapter 13 - Sabrina’s Reappearance
It happened on a rainy Saturday while I was browsing the organic aisle at the local gourmet market. A sharp click of designer heels echoed against the polished concrete floor, followed by a voice that made every muscle in my body tense instinctively.
"Claire?"
I turned around. Standing near the artisanal cheese display was Sabrina Cole. Gone was the pristine cream silk blouse and the arrogant, untouchable smirk from the Brookfield Academy banquet. She wore an oversized trench coat with wet hems, her hair pulled back into a messy, unstyled bun, and dark circles bruised beneath her eyes. She looked like a woman who had spent the last six months surviving a relentless PR nightmare and a family civil suit.
"Sabrina," I replied evenly, not shifting an inch.
She swallowed hard, looking down at my shopping basket before meeting my eyes. "I heard about the federal investigation. My father’s legal team... they completely cut Nathan off. They scrubbed every association he had with our family trust."
"That tends to happen when you partner with a man whose primary talent is betrayal," I said, my voice as cold and clear as winter glass.
Sabrina flinched, her lower lip trembling slightly. "He told me you were the cold one. He said you didn't care about his career, that you were holding him back. He swore up and down that you were the problem."
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"And you believed him because it was convenient," I replied, stepping closer so she could see the absolute lack of fear or anger in my expression. "You wanted a ready-made life that someone else had spent eighteen years building. You got what you paid for, Sabrina. Don't come looking for sympathy here."
She opened her mouth as if to say something else, thought better of it, and turned away, pushing her empty basket down the aisle without buying a single thing.
