Rick didn’t even try to deny it when she confronted him later. “You’re a pretty thing, Sarah,” he’d sneered. “I figured Mike wouldn’t mind sharing. In fact, I even recorded a little video for him to see when he gets back.”
“You drugged me!” she’d screamed, clutching the sheets to her chest. “I’m going to the police!”
“Go ahead,” Rick laughed. “My uncle is the Chief of Police. Who do you think they’ll believe? A girl like you or a guy like me? Besides, do you really want Mike to see that video?”
Sarah had fled his house in a daze. She told her mother, Martha, and they spent the night crying. Martha wanted to fight, but Sarah was terrified of the scandal and the video. She just wanted to wait for Mike and tell him the truth in person.
But Eleanor Miller found out. She cornered Sarah on the street and told her to stay away from Mike forever. “If you contact him again, I’ll make sure that video Rick made goes viral,” Eleanor had hissed. Sarah realized then that Eleanor hadn’t just known—she had likely encouraged Rick to do it.
Then came the pregnancy. Sarah was devastated. She went to a doctor, thinking she couldn’t keep it, but a medical complication meant that an abortion would likely leave her unable to ever have children again. Martha convinced her to keep the baby. “If Mike loves you, he’ll understand,” her mother had said.
But Sarah couldn’t bring herself to tell him over a letter. How do you explain that to a soldier overseas? She went quiet, hoping to figure it out when he came home. But then, disaster struck again.
