The card sitting in Sarah’s wallet, the one she planned to hand to the caterer at midnight to cover the massive open bar tab, was now nothing more than a useless piece of plastic.
Next, I opened a new tab on my browser and logged into my internet service provider control panel.
David prided himself on his smart home setup.
Every light bulb, every speaker, and the massive television broadcasting the New Year’s countdown was completely dependent on my Wi-Fi network.
I navigated to the network management settings.
I didn’t want to shut it off entirely just yet.
That would give them time to scramble and fix it.
Instead, I found the router scheduling feature.
I set a hard automated shutdown for the entire main house network.
The cut off time was configured for exactly 121 a.m.
Finally, I walked into my bedroom and pulled a small suitcase from the top of my closet.
I neatly packed enough clothes for a week.
I had been putting off visiting my sister in Florida for over a year, always making excuses that I needed to stay close in case Sarah needed me.
I booked a direct flight for 600 A.M. the next morning.
I zipped the suitcase shut and placed it by the door.
The heavy burden of resentment I had been carrying for 2 years suddenly felt incredibly light.
I made myself a simple dinner, brewed a pot of herbal tea, and sat by the window to watch the evening unfold.
By 8:00, the quiet suburban street was transformed into a valet parking lot.
Luxury sedans and sleek SUVs lined the curbs.
Women in sparkling dresses and men in tailored suits walked up the illuminated pathway to my front door.
From my dark cottage window, I watched as David’s parents arrived.
David’s mother, wearing a heavy fur coat, paused on the front porch.
She looked toward my small guest house, her nose wrinkling slightly as she made a comment to David.