Chapter 4

Chloe Burns POV:

I went back to our house the next day. Our house. The word felt foreign in my mouth. It was a beautiful, modern home I had designed myself, with clean lines and wide windows that let in the afternoon light. It was meant to be our forever home. Now, it just felt like a museum of a dead marriage.

My lawyer, Eleanor, had called that morning. "The initial draft of the divorce petition is ready," she'd said, her voice business-like. "We've reviewed his assets. You're in a very strong position, Chloe. The pre-nup was iron-clad, and his recent behavior constitutes clear emotional abandonment. We can get you everything."

The word "everything" didn't bring me any joy, but it did bring a sense of security. My mother's long-term care would be expensive. This would ensure she had the best of it, without compromise.

I walked into our master bedroom and opened the sprawling walk-in closet. My side was neat, organized by color. His was a chaotic mix of expensive suits, rumpled scrubs, and designer clothes I hadn't seen him wear in years. Tucked in the back, almost hidden, was a small section of my mother's clothes-a few simple, comfortable outfits she kept here for when she visited. They were plain, made of soft cotton and muted colors.

Next to them, hanging in a pristine garment bag, was a shimmering evening gown. It wasn't mine. I recognized it instantly. Karina had worn it to a hospital fundraiser last month. Why was it here?

A memory, sharp and bitter, surfaced. A few months ago, I had pointed out to Jermey that my mother' s winter coat was getting worn. "We should get her a new one," I'd said.

"Sure, honey, just order one online," he'd replied, not looking up from his phone.

The next week, I saw him coming out of a high-end boutique with Karina, both of them laughing as he carried a shopping bag emblazoned with the logo of a famous designer. Later that evening, Karina posted a photo of Fronia, beaming, wrapped in a luxurious new cashmere coat. The caption read, "Jermey is just the sweetest. He saw Mom was cold and insisted on buying her this!"

I had screamed at him that night. He told me I was being materialistic and that Fronia "had nothing." My mother, who had raised me on a teacher's salary and had never asked for a thing in her life, apparently didn't count.

Now, I reached past Karina's dress and gently took out my mother's simple blouses. I folded them carefully and placed them in a box. I packed my own things next, moving with a numb efficiency. The clothes, the books, the life I had built here. It all fit into a few cardboard boxes.

My hand brushed against a small, lacquered box at the back of my shelf. I hesitated, then pulled it out. Inside, nestled on a bed of faded velvet, were mementos from the last eight years. Ticket stubs from our first date. A dried flower from our wedding. And a photograph.

It was of Jermey on his medical school graduation day. He was beaming, his arm thrown around my shoulders, his eyes bright with a future he swore we would build together. Taped to the back was a note he had written me that night in his messy, doctor's scrawl: Chloe, you are my compass. All of this is for you. All of this is for us. Forever. J.

The man in that photo, full of earnest promises, felt like a stranger. A ghost from a different lifetime.

My phone rang, jolting me from the memory. Jermey.

I let it go to voicemail, but he called right back. And again. On the fourth try, I answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"Chloe!" His voice was ragged, frantic. "You need to call off this transfer! Fronia-her condition has worsened. She's been asking for me. She's terrified. She thinks this is her fault."

"Her fault?" I asked, my voice flat.

"Yes! She's blaming herself for you being angry at me! Her heart can't take this stress! If something happens to her, Chloe, it will be on your head!"

The threat, so blatant and cruel, hung in the air. He was using a sick woman as a weapon against me. The same man who, in that photograph I was holding, had promised me forever. The man who used to send me texts in the middle of his shifts saying, Just thinking about your face gets me through this. I love you. The man who now used his phone to hurl accusations and defend another woman's honor.

I looked from the smiling boy in the picture to the cold, hard phone in my hand. The love, the earnestness, the future he promised-it had all curdled into this ugly, manipulative performance.

"Is that all?," I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He was momentarily stunned into silence. "What? Chloe, did you hear me? Fronia is-"

"I heard you," I said, my voice gaining strength. "My answer is no."

I hung up before he could reply.

My fingers trembled as I picked up the photograph. I looked at his smiling face, at the hopeful promise in his eyes, and I felt a pang of grief for the man he used to be, for the love I thought we had.

Then, with a resolve that came from a place deep within me, I tore the photograph in half. The smiling faces separated, the promise broken. I dropped the two pieces into the lacquered box, along with the dried flower and the ticket stubs.

I closed the lid, the soft click echoing in the cavernous, empty closet. It was the sound of a door closing for the last time. Taking the box, I walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. I opened the trash can and dropped the box inside.

It was over. It was truly, finally over.