Chapter 3

First thing the next morning, I contacted a lawyer.

Not some flashy celebrity attorney, but Marcus, a sharp, thirty-something divorce lawyer recommended by a friend. He was straightforward and wasted no time.

After hearing my story, Marcus adjusted his glasses. "Your parents paid the down payment, and the mortgage was debited from your personal account. We need solid paper trails for all of that."

"Also, regarding the money he funneled to his sister and mother—if we can prove those were marital assets, we can legally claw them back."

"How much are we talking?"

"Over five years? Easily seventy to eighty thousand dollars."

I took a sharp breath.

Eighty thousand dollars.

That would hit them right where it hurt.

Marcus instructed me to gather bank statements and SnapChat logs so he could review them.

The second I stepped out of the law office, Tyler's call lit up my screen.

I answered, staying quiet.

"Chloe, where the hell are you?" His tone wasn't as explosive as last night, but it still dripped with arrogance.

"None of your business."

"You—!" He swallowed his anger. "Mom said you must come home for dinner tonight. Apologize to the family properly, and we’ll drop this whole thing."

Apologize?

I laughed out loud. "Why on earth would I apologize?"

"You slapped me and stormed out! The whole family knows about it, and my mom was humiliated! You come back, apologize, and comfort my mom, and this blows over."

"Tyler," I said, enunciating every syllable. "I am divorcing you."

The line went dead quiet for two seconds.

"Are you insane?!" His voice cracked into a screech. "Chloe, have you lost your mind? Who else is going to want an out-of-state nobody like you? If my family hadn't taken you in—"

"Say that again."

"I said you’re an outsider! If we hadn't let you stay, you wouldn't even have a roof over your head!"

I hung up immediately.

My hands shook—not with fear, but with boiling fury.

An outsider.

I had endured that label for five years.

Right after our wedding, Tyler’s mother boasted to the neighbors right in front of me, "My son was so charitable, picking a girl from out of state. At least she won't be running home to mommy every few days."

During holidays, Tyler refused to visit my hometown, claiming my parents' small town was embarrassing.

My parents had moved to the city just to be near me, just so I wouldn't be bullied for having no family around.

And what about his family?

When his father lost money gambling, Tyler came to me for cash. When his mother fell for scams and bought thousands of dollars in fake wellness supplements, Tyler demanded my card.

For five years, they lived in my apartment, spent my hard-earned money, and then dared to look down their noses at me as an 'outsider.'

I blocked Tyler's number and hailed a cab back to my parents' place.

As the car entered the community, I spotted a white sedan parked out front.

My stomach dropped.

It was Brenda’s car.

Or rather, the car I bought.

When Tyler insisted his mother needed a car because her knees were bad, I took pity on her. I paid the ten-thousand-dollar down payment and covered the monthly lease, even putting the title under Brenda's name.

And now?

She was driving the car I paid for to ambush my parents' home.

I took a deep breath and marched into the building.

Before I even reached the third floor, a shrill screech echoed down the stairwell.

"Eleanor! Your daughter ran away from home, and you’re defending her?! Do you know she slapped my son across the face?! She humiliated our entire family!"

It was Tyler's mother, Brenda.

"Exactly! Chloe has completely crossed the line! My brother treats her like a queen, and she’s still ungrateful!"

That was Tyler's sister, Megan.

My mom's voice remained steady. "Wait until Chloe gets back. Screaming out here won't solve anything."

"Wait for her?!" Brenda's screech hit a fever pitch. "She's hiding like a coward! I’m telling you right now, she comes home with us today and gives my son a formal apology, or this marriage is over!"