Chapter 8: The Woman Who Called
"My name is Sasha," she said.
"I think you know who I am."
I did.
I didn't say it out loud, but I did.
"Why are you calling me?"
A pause.
She sounded younger than I'd imagined.
Her voice was careful, like someone who had rehearsed this and was now second-guessing the script.
"Because Colleen came to see me this morning," she said.
"She told me the divorce was almost done.
That you'd already agreed to leave the house.
That it would all be settled within the week."
I said nothing.
"She told me Ethan and I could move in by the end of the month."
The room was very quiet.
I could hear Dana in the kitchen, the sound of water running.
"And?" I said.
"And I went to see Ethan tonight.
To talk about it.
About us.
About what comes next." Another pause.
"He told me he hadn't spoken to you yet.
That nothing was settled.
That he needed more time."
"More time," I repeated.
"He's been saying that for four months." Her voice shifted — something underneath the careful tone cracked slightly.
"Colleen told me this was almost over.
She told me she was handling it.
She's been telling me that since February."
February.
Two months before he filed.
Which meant Colleen had known even longer than six months — she'd been managing both sides of this, keeping Sasha patient and keeping me unaware, running the whole thing like a project she was overseeing.
"Sasha," I said.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because she lied to me too." The crack in her voice widened.
"I didn't know she'd gone to your house with movers.
Ethan didn't tell me.
I found out from one of the moving company guys — he posted something on a neighborhood app about a job that went sideways." A breath.
"I'm not — I'm not calling to apologize for what happened.
I know that's not something I can fix.
But I thought you should know what she's been doing.
What she's been telling both of us."
I stood up and walked to the window.
The driveway was empty.
Quiet.
"Do you have any of it in writing?" I asked.
"Anything Colleen said to you — texts, emails, anything?"
A long pause.
"Yes," Sasha said.
"I have texts going back to January."
My hand tightened on the phone.
"I'm going to give you my attorney's contact information," I said.
"Her name is Renata Voss.
I want you to send her everything."
"Will it help you?"
"It'll help both of us understand exactly what Colleen was doing." I paused.
"And it'll make sure she can't do it to anyone else."
After I hung up, I stood at the window for a moment.
Then I went to the kitchen doorway.
Dana turned around.
"That was Sasha," I said.
Dana put down the dish towel.
"Colleen told her I'd already agreed to leave," I said.
"She's been managing her since January.
Keeping her in line.
Keeping me in the dark.
Running the whole thing herself."
Dana stared at me.
"Ethan doesn't know half of what his mother has been doing, does he?"
May you like
"I don't think he does," I said.
"And tomorrow, he's going to find out."
