Chapter 8: The Man Who Had Nothing Left
Michael’s situation grew worse with each passing week.
Without a steady job and with his reputation damaged, he struggled to find work. The few interviews he managed to get ended quickly once employers looked into his background. Word had spread in certain professional circles about what he had tried to do.
His savings ran out fast.
By the end of the second month, he was forced to sell his car. He moved into a cheap extended-stay motel on the edge of the city. The same motel Sarah had been staying at before they found a slightly better place together.
I received updates from time to time through mutual acquaintances. No one was trying to gossip. They were simply shocked by how far he had fallen in such a short time.
One afternoon, I received a message from an old colleague who had worked with Michael years ago.
“He came by the office today asking if we had any openings,” the message read. “He looked… bad. Like he hadn’t slept in days. I felt sorry for him, but after what he did to you, I couldn’t recommend him.”
I didn’t reply.
I didn’t feel satisfaction.
I simply felt that justice had run its course.
Michael had spent years believing he was entitled to everything I had built. When that belief was challenged, he had nothing to fall back on. No skills of his own. No savings. No reputation.
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He had bet everything on taking what wasn’t his.
And he had lost.
