WHAT IF???

Chapter 48: Shielded Secrets

As Sam retreated to her room, the weight of her decision settling heavily upon her shoulders, Mon's desperation reached a fever pitch. She followed Sam, her heart pounding with anguish, and knelt outside her door, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Sam, please," she begged, her words choked with tears. "Don't do this. We can work through it together. Please, don't shut me out."

But Sam's resolve remained unyielding as she pressed herself against the door, her tears flowing freely. "I can't do this anymore, Mon," she sobbed, her voice raw with pain. "I need to let you go."

Mon's heart shattered at Sam's words, her own tears blurring her vision as she reached out, desperate to comfort her love. "But I don't want to lose you," she pleaded, her voice breaking with sorrow. "Please, Sam, let me in."

A flashback flooded Sam's mind, transporting her back to the moment before Mon arrived. She stood in the kitchen, the scent of cooking filling the air, when her phone rang. With a sigh, she answered, her tone icy.

"What do you want, Kirk?" she snapped, her patience wearing thin.

Kirk's voice came through the line, filled with a mix of annoyance and disdain. "The preliminary results of the annulment have been sent to our emails," he informed her.

Sam's heart sank as she opened her email, her hands trembling slightly as she read through the document. "They're not final yet," she defended, her voice defensive.

Kirk scoffed, his tone dripping with condescension. "You know as well as I do, you're the one at fault here."

Sam's chest tightened with anger and frustration. "How could the court be in favor of you?" she shot back, her voice rising in indignation.

Kirk's voice was cold and unrelenting on the other end. "You agreed to this marriage, Sam," he began, his tone dripping with contempt. "But you've refused to fulfill your duties as my wife."

Sam's heart pounded in her chest, each word from Kirk cutting deeper. "And now," Kirk continued, his voice growing harsher, "you have a third party involved. Do you know how that makes you look in the eyes of the court?"

Sam could barely breathe, the weight of his accusations suffocating her. "It's not what you think," she stammered, her voice weak and desperate.

Kirk's laughter was sharp and sarcastic. "You should be thanking me, Sam," he sneered. "I've been defending you, telling everyone that you have no third party. But the evidence is piling up against you."

Tears welled up in Sam's eyes as she struggled to find her voice. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered, her voice trembling with pain.

"Because, Sam," Kirk replied coldly, "you need to understand the consequences of your actions. You thought you could just walk away without any repercussions, but reality doesn't work that way."

As the call ended, Sam felt the room spinning around her. The email's contents and Kirk's cruel words replayed in her mind, a relentless reminder of the mess her life had become. She sank to the floor, tears streaming down her face, knowing that her actions had not only hurt her but Mon as well.

But Kirk's words echoed in her mind, filling her with doubt and uncertainty. And as she watched Mon walk away, the weight of her past mistakes bore down upon her, leaving her grappling with the painful reality of her crumbling marriage.

And now, as she sat against her bedroom door, her body wracked with sobs, she heard Mon kneeling outside, pleading desperately. "Sam, please, don't do this, let me in." Mon's voice broke through the haze of despair.

"Go, Mon!" Sam shouted through the door, her voice raw and broken. "I can't keep hurting you. Just go!"

Mon's sobs echoed through the hallway, each one a dagger to Sam's heart. But as Mon reluctantly rose to leave, she knew Sam had made her choice, a choice born of love and pain, a choice that shattered both their hearts.