**Diary Entry**
Its been a strange few years, looking back.
Jonathan walked out with nothing but a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, like he was off to the gym, not abandoning a decade of marriage. Sarah had always thought their life together was solidcomfortable, even. But there he stood, in the doorway of their Chelsea flat, as casual as if hed just run out of milk.
What do you mean, theres no point? Her voice was steady, though inside, everything had turned to ice. She wouldnt give him the satisfaction of seeing her break.
The flats going toward the debts, love. *Our* debts. He tossed a thick stack of paperwork onto the kitchen table, scattering across the surface like fallen leaves.
Sarah stared at the mess. *Your* debts. That ridiculous crypto schemeI warned you it was a bubble. I showed you the numbers.
But who celebrated when the first profits rolled in? We went to the bloody Maldives on that money. His smirk was worse than a slap. Fairs fair.
Hed planned it all. Loans in her name, guarantor agreements shed signed without realising. The lawyers had given her a week to leave before the bailiffs came.
Jonathan straightened his cufflinksthe ones shed bought him last Christmas. Ive met someone else. With her, I can breathe. With you Christ, it was like living in a spreadsheet.
He didnt mention she was twenty-two, or that her father was the investor hed been desperate to impress. Nor that his business was crumbling, and this was his last lifeline.
Sarah didnt cry. Didnt beg. Just pushed the papers aside. Leave.
He seemed almost disappointed. No hysterics? No scene?
Hysterics are for people who can afford them, she said. Now get out.
The door clicked shut.
Alone in the wreckage, Sarah called her brother. Tom, I need your help. Not because Im in troublebecause Im starting over.
Tom arrived within the hour, flipping through the documents with a grimace. He set you up, didnt he?
I trusted him.
Trust doesnt excuse stupidity, he muttered, then softened. Right. Whats this fresh start, then?
Sarah opened her laptop. A sleek presentation filled the screen: *Evergreen Urban Farms*. Vertical agriculture systems, energy-efficient, scalable.
The hobby Jonathan mocked me for, she said. Two patents, a working prototype. All I need is capital.
Tom studied it, then snapped the laptop shut. Ill investthirty percent stake. First thing you do? Hire a bloody good solicitor.
Three days later, Sarah sat in a cramped office near Shoreditch. Bankruptcy proceedings had begun to shield her future assets. Jonathan calledshe ignored it. His follow-up text (*Just need your signature on a few more things*) went straight to her lawyer.
*»Another loan.* *Sign nothing without me.»*
Sarah blocked his number. That night, unpacking boxes, she found their wedding album. Two smiling faces. He hadnt loved herjust the reflection of his own ego. Without hesitation, she dropped it in the bin.
Eight months later, Evergreen Urban Farms was thriving. High-end restaurants clamoured for her produce. Meanwhile, Jonathans grand plans had collapsedhis would-be father-in-law saw through the act and pulled the plug.
When he learned of Sarahs success, it ate at him. She was supposed to be broken, not thriving *without him*. So he struck where it hurt most.
Tom called her that evening, furious. Your ex rang me. Claims Evergreens a front. Sent forged bank statements.
Sarahs breath caught. He was trying to ruin heragain.
He wont stop, Tom said.
Then Ill stop him.
She remembered Jonathans shady calls, his whispers of guaranteed returns. Toms cybersecurity expert dug deeper. Two days later, the truth spilled out: Jonathan had been running a Ponzi scheme, scamming investorsincluding his girlfriends fathers circle.
Sarah didnt go to the police. She leaked the evidence *just* where it needed to go. The fallout was swift. Jonathan lost everythingforced to sell his assets, his firm auctioned off. His girlfriend vanished.
A year later, Sarah spotted him at a bus stop in the rain as she pulled up in her silent electric Jaguar. She didnt even see him. To her, he was just another stranger.
That was the moment he understood. Hed thought he was setting her free. In truth, hed freed her *from him*.
Two more years passed. Evergreen expanded into Europe. One evening, scrolling through the news at Heathrow, Sarah spotted a familiar face in a society wedding photoJonathan, in a valets uniform, faded into the background.
She felt nothing. Just closed the tab and moved on.
Tom called later. Hows Germany treating you?
Well conquer it yet, she laughed. Ever regret investing in my little garden project?
Only that I didnt drag you away from that idiot sooner. You were always brillianthe was just a boulder in your path.
Sarah smiled. Not a boulder. A cracked mirror. I had to shatter it to remember who I was.
Revenge wasnt his downfall. It was the day she stopped caring.
Freedom wasnt his failureit was her flight.
