Chapter 7: The Foreclosure of a Dream
While Stanley prepared for war, Sarah McCain was standing on the manicured lawn of 42 Maple Drive, watching two men in uniform zip-tie a "Foreclosed" sign to the fence.
"You can't do this!" Sarah screamed, her voice cracking. "My husband—my ex-husband—owns this house! There must be a mistake!"
"No mistake, ma'am," the officer said, not looking up from his clipboard. "The property taxes haven't been paid in two years. The previous owner, a Mr. Stanley McCain, filed a voluntary relinquishment of deed four days ago. The bank is taking possession immediately."
Sarah's mother stood beside her, her face a mask of panicked rage. "That brat! He did this on purpose! He knew we had no money of our own!"
"He's a billionaire, Mother!" Sarah cried, holding up her tablet. "Look at the news! He's the Major! He's the one who bought Sentinel! We threw away a king for... for what?"
"For me," a voice sneered from the driveway.
A man named Bradley stepped out of a flashy red sports car. He was the "better man" Sarah had been seeing behind Stanley's back—a mid-level manager at a rival firm. But today, Bradley didn't look so confident.
"Brad, thank God," Sarah said, running to him. "You have to help us. Stanley took everything. He's some kind of secret mogul. Can we stay at your place?"
Bradley looked at the foreclosure sign, then back at Sarah. "Actually, Sarah... about that. My firm was one of the ones Sentinel acquired this morning. I got laid off an hour ago. And since your name is tied to Stanley's old debts, my lawyers said I should distance myself. It's better if we don't see each other."
Before Sarah could scream, Bradley was back in his car, tires screeching as he sped away.
Sarah fell to her knees on the grass. The house was gone. Her lover was gone. And the man she had treated like a dog for two years was currently the most powerful man in the state.
"I have to find him," Sarah whispered, her eyes filling with a desperate, greedy light. "He's still my husband on some of the papers. He's a good man. He'll listen to me. He always listened to me."