Chapter 7 - Chloe’s Version of the Past
The next morning, Chloe entered Brooke’s room without knocking.
“You need to pack.”
Brooke remained seated on the bed.
“Did Derek tell you about the trust?”
Chloe froze.
“What trust?”
“The house doesn’t belong to Mom.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“It belongs to a residence trust. Mom can live here, but she can’t sell it.”
Chloe laughed.
“You expect me to believe Dad gave you the entire house?”
“He gave you his insurance money.”
Chloe’s expression changed.
That confirmed she knew about the money.
“You have no idea what happened to that.”
“Then tell me.”
Chloe closed the door.
After James died, she received the insurance payment.
Derek convinced her to invest most of it in his company.
The business failed.
Chloe hid the loss because she was ashamed.
When she and Derek moved into the family house, they had less than $4,000 remaining.
“Dad gave you a career,” Chloe said. “He paid for nursing school.”
“I had scholarships and loans.”
“He trusted you with everything.”
“He trusted me to keep Mom safe.”
Chloe’s eyes filled with old anger.
“You always got to be the responsible one.”
“No one stopped you from helping.”
“You made helping look like a performance.”
Brooke stood.
“I changed Mom’s dressings. I sat through her appointments. I worked nights to keep this mortgage current. None of that was about you.”
“It always becomes about how much you sacrificed.”
“Because you keep pretending I contributed nothing.”
Chloe looked toward the Bible.
“Derek says the trust can be challenged.”
“Derek says whatever keeps you afraid of losing him.”
Chloe slapped the dresser with her palm.
“You don’t know my marriage.”
“I know he stole mortgage payments and forged Mom’s name.”
“He was trying to save us!”
“From debts he created.”
Chloe’s face hardened.
“You’re leaving after your shift tonight.”
Brooke studied her sister.
“You would throw me out of Dad’s house for him?”
“It isn’t your house.”
Brooke almost told her.
She almost opened the letter and read James’s words aloud.
Then Thomas’s warning returned.
Do not tell them anything.
Brooke packed only what she could carry without making Derek suspicious.
A few clothes.
Her scarf.
The Bible.
She left for the hospital knowing the locks might be changed before she returned.
That afternoon, NightBridge’s buyer confirmed the final acquisition documents.
The transaction would close at 6:00 p.m.
Brooke’s shift ended at 6:15.
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When she drove home, Derek’s drill was already resting against the porch wall.
👉 Chloe thought she was completing an eviction—but she was actually creating the photograph that would expose the entire scheme.
