Chapter 3

Chloe Vance moved into the Connecticut mansion with the speed and efficiency of a conquering general.

Ethan, besotted and relieved to have someone "positive" around, gave her carte blanche.

The first thing Chloe did was redecorate.

"This place is so... stuffy, Ethan, darling," she' d declared, waving a dismissive hand at the elegant, understated décor Sarah had spent years curating. "It needs a woman' s touch. My touch."

Ethan readily agreed. "Whatever you want, Chloe. Make it feel like home."

Sarah watched, a silent ghost in her own house, as Chloe directed movers and designers.

Her carefully chosen antiques were relegated to the attic. The muted color palettes were replaced with bold, trendy shades Chloe had seen in a magazine.

Lily' s hypoallergenic bedding, which Sarah had sourced after months of research for Lily' s sensitive skin, was tossed out for something "more princessy" and, incidentally, full of synthetic dyes.

The children, EJ and Lily, were Chloe' s enthusiastic accomplices.

"Mommy' s old stuff was so boring!" EJ announced, gleefully pointing at a newly installed, garish chandelier in the foyer.

"Aunt Chloe has much better taste!" Lily chimed in, twirling in a new, sparkly dress Chloe had bought her.

Sarah felt a dull ache in her chest but said nothing. She simply tightened her fingers around the worn velvet of a small, antique jewelry box she' d managed to rescue – a gift from her own grandmother. It was one of the few things she truly valued.

Chloe seamlessly inserted herself into the family routine, or rather, created a new one centered around herself.

She sat in Sarah' s chair at the breakfast table, serving the children sugary cereals Sarah had always forbidden.

Ethan beamed at her, fetching her coffee, laughing at her jokes.

Sarah often ate alone in the kitchen, or not at all. They rarely spoke to her, rarely even looked at her. It was as if she had become a transparent person, a piece of furniture they no longer noticed.

The irony was not lost on Sarah.

Ethan, who had always demanded perfection from Sarah – his shirts ironed just so, his meals nutritionally balanced, the children' s schedules managed to the minute – was now content with Chloe' s haphazard approach.

He wore a slightly wrinkled shirt one morning and Chloe just giggled, calling it "adorably rumpled." He didn' t complain.

The children ate takeout most nights, something Ethan would have previously decried as unhealthy. Now, it was "fun" and "a treat."

Chloe even passed off store-bought cookies as "homemade" for a school bake sale, and Ethan praised her "effort."

Chloe was treated like a queen.

"Don' t tire yourself out, darling," Ethan would tell her if she even lifted a finger.

The children fawned over her, fetching her things, vying for her attention. The staff, sensing the shift in power, treated Chloe with a deference they' d rarely shown Sarah.

Sarah overheard the maids whispering in the hallway.

"She' s got him wrapped around her little finger."

"Mark my words, she' ll be the new Mrs. Hayes before the year is out."

Sarah felt nothing. Or rather, she felt a profound detachment, a sense of observing a play in which she no longer had a role. She continued to pack her few remaining personal items, preparing for her exit.

The catalyst came sooner than she expected.

It was the day of EJ' s school potluck. Sarah had always been meticulous about EJ' s severe peanut allergy, drilling the information into teachers, caregivers, and even EJ himself.

Chloe, of course, was in charge of supervising EJ at the event.

The call came while Sarah was in the guest room, sorting through old photographs. It was Ethan, his voice frantic.

"Sarah! Get to the hospital! Now! It' s EJ!"

Sarah' s blood ran cold. She rushed to the emergency room, her heart pounding.

She found Ethan pacing like a caged lion, his face pale. Chloe was dabbing her eyes, looking suitably distressed. EJ was in a treatment room, doctors working on him.

"What happened?" Sarah demanded.

Ethan whirled on her, his eyes blazing with fury. "What happened? You tell me! He' s had an anaphylactic reaction! Peanuts! How could you let this happen?"

Sarah was stunned. "Me? I wasn' t even there! Chloe was with him."

"You should have drilled it into her more!" Ethan snarled. "You know how severe his allergy is! This is your fault!"

Sarah tried to explain that she had given Chloe detailed instructions, a list of safe foods, an EpiPen.

Ethan wasn't listening. He was too consumed by fear and anger.

Then, from the treatment room, came the small, shaky voices of her children.

EJ, his voice raspy, and Lily, sobbing beside him, both pointed a finger at where Sarah would have been standing if she were allowed closer.

"Mommy... Mommy used to let us have tiny bits of peanut butter," EJ managed to say. "She said... a little bit wouldn' t hurt."

Lily nodded tearfully. "Yeah, Aunt Chloe didn' t know! Mommy always said it was okay sometimes!"