Chapter 4

The call gave me a glimmer of hope.

I framed it as an expense audit for corporate accounting so he wouldn't face liability. Frank promised to have his staff burn the raw files onto a drive by that afternoon.

Just as I hung up, my mother-in-law, Evelyn, called.

"Ethan Chase! You shameless, disgusting animal! How dare you still show your face?!"

Her voice rattled the speaker like a machine gun.

"Claire was cursed the day she married you!"

"Whoring around at work—what if you bring home a disease?! How could you do this to our family?!"

My head spun. "Evelyn, listen to me, I didn't—"

"Don't you dare lie to me! Claire told me everything!"

"You harassed a helpless young girl, and the whole city is reading about it online!"

"You've completely humiliated us!"

"Let me make one thing crystal clear: I just picked Claire up and brought her back home. A scumbag like you will never lay eyes on her again!"

"If you have a shred of decency left, sign those divorce papers and set my daughter free!"

"It's a setup! Someone is trying to ruin me—"

"Don't you dare come near my house or call her, or I swear my son will break your damn legs!"

She hung up with a vicious click.

My hands went cold.

Chloe hadn't just sabotaged my job and fractured my marriage; she had detonated my entire personal life.

I frantically called Claire. Straight to voicemail.

I opened WhatsApp. A red exclamation mark appeared. Blocked.

I used to believe that even if the whole world turned its back on me, Claire would stand by my side.

Reality delivered a humiliating slap across my face.

Five years of marriage, instantly obliterated by anonymous internet gossip.

I sprinted out the door, jumped into my car, and sped toward her parents' gated community.

I had to look into Claire's eyes and make her see the truth!

Yet, I couldn't even make it past the security gate.

The guard stopped my car, shaking his head. "Mr. Chase, Mrs. Sterling called the desk. You're blacklisted from the property."

Standing outside that iron gate, staring at the distant townhouse, I felt completely abandoned by the universe.

Returning to the office, a heavier hammer fell.

Harrison summoned me back in, his face darker than yesterday.

"Ethan, take a look at this!" He shoved an iPad toward me.

The Blind post had been updated.

"Update! The creep refuses to apologize and is now cornering the victim in private conference rooms, threatening to blacklist her from the industry!"

"The poor girl is so traumatized she couldn't come to work today, crying her eyes out at home."

"His wife found out and filed for divorce immediately. Karma is real, folks!"

Attached was a stealthily snapped photo.

It captured me standing by the conference room door, my face dark, gesturing aggressively.

You couldn't see Chloe, but paired with the malicious caption, it looked like indisputable proof that I was threatening her.

And indeed, Chloe had called in sick today.

Every move she made was calculated down to the millimeter.

Play weak, play sick, cement her victimhood, and paint me as an unhinged abuser.

"Ethan, I'm asking you for the very last time: what the hell is going on?"