CHAPTER 6

Derrick's words caused Sarah to experience a wave of guilt, her heart aching for the part she had unknowingly played in their dishonesty. Her voice wavered as she struggled to find the correct words to say, "Derrick, I..."

But before she could say another word, Derrick looked at her with a burning betrayal in his eyes. He faced her, hurt evident in his voice as he spat, "And you!" his voice laced with accusation. "I trusted you, Sarah. I confided in you, and this is how you repay me?”

Sarah could barely find the right words to say, tears welling up in her eyes as her shame and remorse threatened to overtake her. "Derrick, I never meant to hurt you," she uttered in a whisper, her words just barely heard over the whirlwind of feelings surrounding them.

But Derrick's anger was unrelenting, his sense of betrayal driving him to lash out at the one person he had trusted above all others. "Save your apologies, Sarah," he growled, his voice cold and unforgiving. "You made your choice, and now you have to live with it."

With that, Derrick turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving Sarah and Bobby standing in stunned silence. Their already difficult position was made even worse by the weight of his comments, which hung thick in the air.

As Sarah struggled to contain her tears, Bobby placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, fakinga mask of concern. "Don't worry, my dear," he murmured, his voice hard and unsoothing. "Everything will be alright. We'll get through this together."

Sarah was alone in the dimly lit hallway, a great weight of guilt and shame bearing down on her shoulders. Derrick had become her constant companion in her dreams, his piercing gaze and hard-bitten charm disturbing her every waking hour. She could not shake the persistent feeling that she had made a terrible mistake in marrying Bobby and had betrayed her own heart.

Her mind raced with a thousand maybes and what-ifs as she stared blankly at the flickering flames in the fireplace. What if she'd told Derrick the truth right from the beginning? Does she like Derrick that way? She had met him drunk, but still, his kindness touched her heart.

With the weight of Derrick's accusations pressing down on her, Sarah stood by herself in the dimly lighted corridor and experienced a surge of conflicting feelings. She had fought so hard to repress her feelings for Derrick after her marriage to Bobby, but in the middle of the commotion and chaos, she was forced to face the truth.

Sarah realized with a heavy heart that she could no longer lie to Derrick. She had to figure out how to tell him everything, how to make him understand the unthinkable decisions she had been forced to make. But as she searched her mind for the perfect words, a feeling of dread fell upon her, certain that her confession might forever damage their already strained relationship.

With a deep breath to calm herself, Sarah walked to Derrick's room, her footsteps resounding in the deserted hallway. Her heart thumped in her chest with every stride, the weight of her guilt threatening to break her.

Sarah stopped for a while as she reached Derrick's room door, her hand lingering uneasily over the handle. She was aware that once she stepped through the door, there would be no going back and no escaping the hard reality that was waiting for her on the other side.

With all the bravery she could muster, Sarah pushed open the door and entered. She met Derrick's gaze as he sat by himself on the edge of his bed, his expression a mask of betrayal and hatred.

Both of them remained silent for a while, the distance between them seeming too great to cross. But Sarah realized she could no longer hide the truth from Derrick as his stare pierced her.

She said, "Derrick, please," at the very start of her sentence. "I need you to listen to me."

Her words made Derrick's jaw tighten, his rage boiling beneath the surface. With a harsh and icy tone, he asked, "What could you possibly have to say that would make any of this right?"

Sarah flinched at his harsh tone, her heart breaking at the pain she had caused him. "I know that what I did was wrong," she admitted, her voice trembling with emotion. "But you have to understand, I never meant to hurt you."

Derrick scoffed at her words, his eyes flashing with anger. "Oh, spare me the excuses, Sarah," he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "You made your choice when you married my brother. You chose him and you didn’t even let me know."

Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes as she struggled to find the right words, her heart aching with regret. "Derrick, please," she pleaded, her voice barely audible above the tumult of emotions swirling around them. "I care about you.."

For a moment, Derrick's expression softened, his anger giving way to confusion and disbelief. "What are you saying, Sarah?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Sarah took a shaky breath, her hands trembling at her sides. "I'm saying that I made a mistake," she confessed, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I married Bobby because I thought it was the right thing to do, given my sister's surgery.”

Derrick's eyes widened in shock at her revelation, his mind struggling to comprehend the magnitude of her confession. "What do you mean..." he began, his voice trailing off as he searched her face for the truth.

Sarah took a deep breath, steeling herself for the difficult conversation ahead. She knew that she had to be honest with Derrick, no matter how painful the truth might be.

"Derrick," she began, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke. "There's something I need to tell you."

Derrick looked up at her, his expression guarded but curious. "What is it, Sarah?" he asked, his tone cautious.

Sarah took a moment to gather her thoughts, the weight of her words heavy on her heart. "I... I agreed to marry Bobby," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it wasn't because I wanted to. It was because he forced me into it."

Her statement caused Derrick's eyes to widen in disbelief, and his thoughts raced from the implications of what she had said. “Forced you to do it? How?" he asked, his tone laced with doubt.

Sarah took a shaky breath, her hands trembling at her sides. She started telling Derrick of her first experience of him with her father, and everything else leading to the marriage.

She broke down in tears as she said, "He... he put my sister, Olivia, in the hospital. Derrick, he hit her with his car. He took that action to force me to marry him.

Her words made Derrick's blood run cold, sending a wave of betrayal and rage through him. He started, "That son of a...", his voice faltering as he tried to control his rage.

Sarah reached out and softly put her hand on his arm. She begged, "Derrick, please," her eyes overflowing with tears. "You need to trust me. I never intended for any of this to happen."

Derrick stared deep into her eyes, noticing the pain and desperation there. He said, "I believe you, Sarah," with a tone of gentle firmness. "And I promise you, I won't let Bobby get away with this."

Derrick's will hardened after hearing those words, and ideas of how to reveal his brother's dubious activities began to swirl in his head. However, a voice interrupted him as he was about to walk away.

"Derrick, please wait," his worried-looking father, Newton, yelled as he entered the room. "What's going on? What are you two talking about?”.

Derrick took a moment to consider how much to tell his father. However, he knew he had to be honest with Newton as soon as he saw his gaze.

"Dad, Bobby's been up to something," he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “And I believe he's operating shadily right under your nose.”

Newton's mind reeled with surprise as his eyes widened in shock at his son's accusation. "That's not possible," he said with a hint of doubt in his voice. "Bobby would never do something like that."

Derrick, however, shook his head, his determination firm. "And I'm going to prove it, no matter what it takes."

Sarah felt a wave of dread come over her as Derrick stormed out of the room, leaving Newton and her behind. Although she was aware that disclosing Bobby's secrets would worsen the already strained relationship within their family, she also understood that it was the only way to keep the people she cared about safe.

Sarah could only hope, with heavy heart, that Derrick's pursuit of justice wouldn't come at too great a cost. However, she realized there was no going back now as she watched him walk away down the hallway.