I looked at her for a long moment.
“No.”
My voice stayed calm.
“I’m choosing the right to decide what happens to my own life.”
She looked down.
Flynn spoke quietly.
“She’s right.”
Everyone turned toward him.
Chloe stared.
“What?”
He swallowed.
“She’s right.”
Mom looked offended.
“Flynn, stay out of this.”
He gave a humorless laugh.
“I’m married to Chloe. Apparently that makes it my business.”
He looked at me.
“I told them it was wrong.”
Chloe’s face tightened.
“You barely said anything.”
“I should’ve said more.”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“I should have.”
Then he turned to Chloe.
“But we never should have hired movers without Jessi signing anything. We knew that.”
“You knew?”
“I knew it felt wrong.”
Chloe stood again.
“So now everyone is against me?”
“No,” I said.
“This isn’t about sides.”
“It sure feels like it.”
“Because you expected something that never belonged to you.”
She stared at me.
Then grabbed her coat.
“I can’t do this.”
Mom called after her.
“Chloe.”
But she was already gone.
Flynn followed.
The door slammed.
Dad turned toward me.
“Happy now?”
I looked at him.
“No.”
And I meant it.
Winning did not feel good.
It simply felt necessary.
CHAPTER 5 — WHAT CHLOE HADN’T TOLD ANYONE
For four days, nobody contacted me.
The silence felt unfamiliar.
Usually Mom could not go forty-eight hours without sending me something.
A grocery sale.
A family photo.
A reminder to call my grandmother.
Now there was nothing.
I went to work.
Went to the gym.
Cooked.
Read.
And tried not to wonder whether I had permanently broken something.
On the fifth night, Flynn called.
I almost didn’t answer.
Then I did.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
His voice sounded exhausted.
“Is Chloe okay?”
“Not really.”
I sat down.
“What happened?”
A long pause.
Then he said, “There’s something you don’t know.”
Of course there was.
“What?”
“Our lease ends in six weeks.”
“I thought you renewed.”
“We didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because Chloe told the landlord we were moving.”
My eyes closed.
“When?”
“Before Christmas.”
That meant before I overheard the conversation.
They had been planning longer than I realized.
“So she knew about the apartment before Christmas?”
“Yes.”
I felt something cold settle in my stomach.
“How long?”
“Your mom started talking about it around Thanksgiving.”
A month.
They had discussed giving away my apartment for a month before I accidentally heard them.
Flynn continued.
“Chloe thought it was basically settled.”
“Based on what?”
“Your mom.”
I rubbed my temple.
“Flynn, why didn’t you call me?”
“I told Chloe we needed to ask you. She said your parents knew you better.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“No.”
He exhaled.
“I was a coward.”
That honesty surprised me.
“I was tired of fighting about money. Your parents kept saying this would solve everything.”
“What everything?”
Another pause.
Then:
“We’re in debt.”
“How much?”
“A lot.”
“How much?”
“About ninety-two thousand.”
I stood.
“What?”
“Credit cards. Business loans. Personal debt.”
“Does Chloe know?”
“Yes.”
“Do Mom and Dad?”
“Some.”
“Some?”
“They think it’s around thirty thousand.”
I walked toward the window.
Ninety-two thousand dollars.
“Flynn…”
“I know.”
“No. I don’t think you do.”
“I know exactly how bad it is.”
His voice broke slightly.
“For two years I kept thinking one business idea would fix the last one. Then the next one would fix that. Chloe kept spending like my income was about to change. I kept lying to myself.”
I stared out at the city.
“And the apartment?”
“If we moved in rent-free, we could attack the debt.”
That was the real plan.
My home wasn’t simply supposed to help Chloe.
It was supposed to subsidize their financial collapse.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because they knew you’d say no.”
That sentence hurt more than I expected.
Not because it was insulting.
Because it was true.
They knew.
So instead of asking, they planned around me.
Flynn continued.
“Chloe says you hate her.”
“I don’t.”
“She thinks you’ve always judged her.”
“I don’t.”
“She doesn’t believe that.”
I sighed.
“What do you want from me, Flynn?”
“Nothing.”
Another surprise.
“I called because you deserved to know.”
“Thank you.”
“And…”
He hesitated.
“I’m going to sell my car.”
I said nothing.
“I’m shutting down the business account. I got offered a salaried job with one of my old clients.”
“That sounds sensible.”
“Chloe hates it.”
“She’ll get over it.”
“I hope.”
He paused.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For standing in that lobby with movers.”
I looked down.
“Apology accepted.”
After the call, I sat in the dark for almost an hour.
Then I called Mom.
She answered immediately.
“Jessica.”
“Did you know Chloe had already given up their lease?”
Silence.
That was enough.
“You knew.”
“They needed a solution.”
“So you made me the solution.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t twist this.”
“I’m not twisting anything.”
Mom’s voice became defensive.
“They have children.”
“And ninety-two thousand dollars of debt.”
Silence.
Longer this time.
“You knew that too?”
“No.”
“I just learned.”
She sounded genuinely shocked.
“Ninety-two?”
“Yes.”
“That can’t be right.”
“Ask them.”
Mom sat silent.
Then whispered, “My God.”
I almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
Then she said:
“Well, this proves why they needed the apartment.”
I actually laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I couldn’t believe what I had heard.
“What?”
“If they’re that deep in debt, removing rent would help enormously.”
I closed my eyes.
“Mom, you learned they hid sixty thousand dollars more debt from you and your response is still that I should pay for it?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Yes, it is.”
“We are talking about your sister’s family.”
“I am also your family.”
“Of course you are.”
“Then act like it.”
Silence.
My own voice sounded sharper now.
“For years, every crisis Chloe created became evidence that she needed help. Every crisis I avoided became evidence that I didn’t.”
Mom said nothing.
“That stops now.”
“Jessica…”
“I will not finance Chloe’s life.”
“You have no compassion.”
“No. I have boundaries.”
Popular Posts
→- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Recently Viewed
Stories you read recently will appear here.
