Chapter 3 - The Neighbor's War
The next morning, the suburban paradise of Willow Creek felt like a battleground. When I walked down the driveway to grab the morning paper, Mrs. Whitmore pretended to trim her hedges just to get a closer look at me.
"Lauren, dear!" she called out, her eyes shining with manic curiosity. "Are you alright? We saw... well, we saw the alert. Is everything okay with Ethan?"
"Ethan is packing his things, Mrs. Whitmore," I said with a tight smile. "And Brooke will probably need to find a new place to borrow sugar."
Before she could ask another question, a loud smash echoed from across the street. We both turned to look. At Brooke and Mark’s house, Mark was systematically throwing Brooke’s belongings out of the second-story window. Designer shoes, dresses, and makeup bags rained down onto the manicured lawn.
Brooke was standing on the driveway, screaming, her face pale and devoid of makeup. "Mark, stop it! The neighbors are looking! Please!"
"Let them look!" Mark screamed back, slamming a suitcase onto the roof of her sedan. "You slept with my friend! In a pool we watched them build! Get your trash and get out of my life!"
Brooke turned around, her eyes scanning the street until they landed on me. Her expression hardened from desperation into pure, unadulterated rage. She stormed across the asphalt, her manicured nails clenching into fists.
"You did this!" she shrieked, stopping just at the edge of my driveway. "You psycho! You could have just talked to us! You had to ruin my marriage? You had to humiliate me in front of the whole town?"
I didn't step back. I stood my ground, holding the morning paper like a shield.
"I didn't put you in that pool, Brooke. I didn't make you take off your clothes. You did that all by yourself," I said softly, but loud enough for Mrs. Whitmore to hear every word. "You wanted my life, my backyard, and my husband. Well, you can have him. He’s packed and ready to go. But you aren't taking anything else from me."
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"I will sue you for defamation!" she yelled, her voice cracking.
"It’s not defamation if it’s true," I replied, flashing a brilliant smile. "And honey... the neighborhood app has a save button. Everyone already downloaded the receipt."
