Chapter 4

Whispers followed Chloe as she left the publishing house. "Did you see that? She has no shame." "Amelia is so kind and gentle, and Chloe is just... a mess." The words were meant to sting, but they bounced off her. She no longer cared about their opinions. Their world was no longer hers.

She knew she had one last duty to perform, one final goodbye to say. It was her mother's birthday. She had to go. Not to celebrate, but to close a chapter of her life for good.

When she arrived at the Miller family mansion, the party was in full swing. But the moment she stepped through the door, the music seemed to falter. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, saw her, and their faces turned to stone.

"You!" her father's voice boomed across the room. "You dare to show your face here? After the stunt you pulled? Faking your own death! You brought shame upon this entire family!"

Her mother began to sob dramatically, leaning on Amelia for support. "How could you do this to us, Chloe? We thought you were dead! We mourned for you! You are a cruel, heartless child!"

Chloe stood there and took it all in. The accusations, the anger, the fake tears. It was a performance she had seen many times before.

Amelia, ever the peacemaker, patted her mother's back gently. "Mom, Dad, please don't be angry. Chloe is back now, that's what matters. She must have had her reasons." She looked at Chloe with eyes that said, See what you've done? See how much you've hurt them? Her words only served to highlight Chloe's supposed deception.

Chloe didn't want to be a part of their drama. She quietly excused herself and went up to her old room. It was exactly as she had left it years ago, a time capsule of her foolish youth. On her desk were stacks of unopened letters she had written to Blake, filled with her declarations of love. In her closet were boxes of gifts she had meticulously chosen for him, none of which he had ever accepted.

She began to pack everything away. Each letter, each gift, was a piece of her old, obsessive self. She sealed the boxes, severing the ties to her past one by one. She was done.

As she was about to leave the room, she heard voices from the hallway. Her parents were greeting a guest warmly.

"Liam, so good of you to come! Amelia has been looking forward to seeing you."

Chloe's blood ran cold. Liam. She knew that name. She peeked through the crack in the door. There he was. Liam Stone. The leader of the thugs who had kidnapped and killed her. He was smiling, shaking her father's hand, looking like a respectable guest. And standing beside him, smiling just as warmly, was her sister, Amelia.

The world tilted on its axis. He was here. Her murderer was a guest at her mother's birthday party. And her family was welcoming him with open arms.