Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3 — The Broken Bride
The knock on the door came three days later.
It wasn't the police.
It wasn't a reporter.
It was a rhythm I recognized from childhood. Two short taps, one long.
My sister.
I opened the door slowly, keeping the chain engaged.
Chloe stood on the porch, looking completely shattered.
Her husband, Daniel, stood a few feet behind her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, looking anywhere but at me.
"Ethan, please," Chloe whispered, her voice trembling. "Let us in."
I looked at her.
She wasn't wearing her honeymoon clothes. She was wearing a faded college sweatshirt.
The grand Caribbean trip had been canceled.
The scandal had eclipsed their marriage before it even began.
I unhooked the chain and pulled the door open.
They stepped into the hallway, looking around the house as if they had never seen it before.
"What do you want, Chloe?" I asked. I didn't offer them a seat.
She burst into tears.
"You ruined everything!" she sobbed, the sorrow quickly morphing into accusation.
"My wedding, Ethan! It was supposed to be the best day of my life!"
I stared at her.
Fourteen stitches in my head. A bruised brain. A stolen home.
And she was mourning a party.
"I ruined it?" I asked, my voice dangerously soft.
"I didn't punch myself in the head, Chloe. I didn't smash my own skull against a banquet wall."
Daniel stepped forward, trying to play the reasonable man.
"Look, Ethan, we know Richard crossed a line—"
"Crossed a line?" I interrupted, stepping closer to him.
Daniel flinched and took a step back.
"He committed a felony, Daniel. He assaulted me in front of two hundred people."
Chloe wiped her eyes, her mascara smearing across her cheeks.
"Dad is losing everything, Ethan. His company is gone. The bank is calling in his loans."
"He called me this morning crying. He's broke. He's facing jail time."
"Good," I said without hesitation.
Chloe gasped, stepping back as if I had struck her.
"How can you say that? He's our father!"
"He's your father," I corrected her.
"To me, he is just a man who stole my money, used my blood, and tried to give my life to you."
"Why are you really here, Chloe?"
She looked at the floor, suddenly unable to meet my gaze.
"The deed," Daniel muttered, finally showing his true colors.
"Richard signed the transfer papers that night. Before the... incident."
"Legally, the house belongs to Chloe now. We want you to vacate."
The audacity of it was almost funny.
Almost.
I let out a dry, hollow laugh that echoed in the quiet hallway.
"Evelyn Cross," I said.
Daniel blinked. "Who?"
"My lawyer. She filed an injunction yesterday morning. The transfer is frozen. The title is locked."
"You aren't getting this house, Chloe. You aren't getting a dime."
Chloe looked at me, her eyes wide with panic.
"But we need the money! Daniel's parents paid for the wedding, and now they want us to pay them back because of the scandal!"
"Then you better get a job," I said.
I walked over to the front door and opened it wide.
"Get out."
They didn't argue.
They saw the look in my eyes—the look of a man who had absolutely nothing left to lose.
May you like
They walked out into the cold afternoon, and I locked the door behind them.
I was finally alone.
