Chapter 10 - Chloe's Reality Check
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Across town, in a modest, cramped apartment she could barely afford, Chloe Mercer was staring at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror, wiping away smeared mascara.
The glamorous life Julian had promised her—the penthouse apartments, the diamond jewelry, the effortless wealth—had evaporated like smoke the moment the federal agents raided the mansion. Without Julian’s stolen credit cards, Chloe had been forced to return to her junior-level PR job, where her coworkers whispered behind her back and her boss treated her with thinly veiled contempt.
Her phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. She walked out of the bathroom and picked it up. It was a text message from an unknown number.
The plea deal has been finalized. Julian Vance pled guilty to all federal charges. Sentencing is next month.
Chloe stared at the screen, a sick, hollow feeling twisting in her stomach. She had spent months telling herself that she was just an innocent bystander, that Julian had tricked her just as much as he had tricked Clara. But the federal investigators hadn't bought her victim act. Her cooperation had kept her out of prison, but it hadn't saved her reputation. She was permanently branded as the ambitious, vapid mistress who had helped a criminal tear apart a family.
She walked over to the window, looking down at the gray, dreary street below.
She thought about Clara. She remembered the baby shower, the pale blue frosting, the delicate white roses, and the terrifying sound of Julian’s fist striking Clara’s stomach. She remembered the cold, calm smile Clara had worn as the federal agents walked through the front doors.
Chloe finally understood the terrifying truth.
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She hadn't won anything by stealing Julian. She had simply inherited a sinking ship, captained by a coward who would throw anyone overboard to save himself.
She locked her phone, tossed it onto the couch, and buried her face in a pillow, crying bitter tears of regret for a life she had foolishly tried to steal.
