Chapter 4

"Stop playing dumb! His clothes, his legal documents—everything is in there!"

Chloe’s mom let out a soft chuckle.

"Are you sure those belong to your son?"

Mom froze.

Standing behind her, everything clicked into place for me.

The lock passcode had been changed. Her family had already moved in.

They had planned this all along.

My dad's voice cut in from behind: "What is that supposed to mean?"

Chloe’s mom crossed her arms, firmly blocking the frame.

"It means exactly what it sounds like. Your son decided to throw a fit and ditch the wedding. He humiliated our entire family in front of hundreds of people today, and now he wants to come back and take stuff?"

She paused, sneering.

"Sure. Hand over the fifty grand in cash first."

My mom's face drained of color.

"Have you lost your mind? That was our money!"

"Your money?"

Chloe’s mom scoffed.

"Who was that money meant for? It was for my daughter's wedding! Since there is no wedding, that money stays with us to compensate for our damages!"

My dad slammed his palm against the door.

"Move."

Chloe’s mom stumbled back half a step from the force, but immediately threw herself forward again, raising her voice to a screech.

"You pushing me? You gonna hit a woman now?!"

She turned her head and shrieked into the apartment.

"Mark! Get out here! They're getting violent!"

Chloe’s dad strolled out of the living room in his pajamas, holding a mug of tea.

He ambled over and stood squarely behind his wife.

"Like we said, agree to drop the money claim, and you can take your things."

His eyes swept up and down over me.

"Ethan, let me give it to you straight. The scene your family caused at the venue today completely ruined Chloe's reputation. How is she supposed to face our relatives and friends? You can walk away, but you don't get to trash someone like that."

I stared at him, saying nothing.

He continued, "No money, no belongings."

My dad pointed a finger at them. "This is unlawful possession of personal property."

"Unlawful possession?"

Chloe’s dad blew gently on his tea.

"This is the marital home. Everything inside was bought jointly by both families. Who can prove what belongs to you and what belongs to us?"

My mom was trembling with rage, pulling out her phone to dial 911.

Before she could press call, Chloe stepped out from the master bedroom.

She walked to the doorway, her gaze completely bypassing my parents and landing straight on me.

"Ethan, when you said all those things on stage today, did you even consider my feelings for a second?"

I looked at her.

She went on, "Brandon is just an old childhood friend! There's nothing between us! You told six hundred people you wouldn't marry me—how am I supposed to explain that to my parents? How do I explain it to my friends?"

"You humiliated my family today."

"Do you even care?"

My mom couldn't take it anymore. "We humiliated you? You slipped a ring onto another man's finger at your own damn wedding, and you talk to us about humiliation?!"

Chloe frowned.

"Mrs. Miller, it was just a playful joke! He was crying his eyes out over there—couldn't I just comfort him for a second?"

"Then why the hell didn't you comfort Ethan?!"