Chapter 6 - The Eviction of Greed
By late afternoon, the sun was casting long golden shadows across the pristine lawns of our suburban estate.
When my car pulled into the circular driveway, Chloe’s designer luxury coupe was parked crookedly across the concrete apron, its trunk popped open. Several oversized designer suitcases and expensive garment bags were scattered everywhere. Chloe was standing by the trunk, frantically tossing armfuls of clothes into her luggage, her makeup smudged from hours of panic.
I stepped out of the car and walked slowly up the stone pathway. Maya and Mom sat quietly on the front porch rocking chairs, watching the scene unfold with quiet dignity.
Chloe stopped tossing her clothes as she heard my footsteps. She turned around, her eyes red-rimmed and venomous.
“Are you happy now, Liam?” she screamed, her voice cracking as she threw a silk blouse onto the concrete. “You ruined my life! You threw away five years of marriage over an old woman!”
“You didn't just ruin a marriage, Chloe—you tried to steal my mother’s life, forge her identity, and send me to federal prison,” I replied, stopping ten feet away. “And for what? Greed.”
“Marcus promised we’d be free!” she spat bitterly. “He said your family had millions hidden in offshore accounts!”
“My father worked sixteen-hour days in a machine shop to build this life honestly,” I said. “You didn't marry me because you loved me. You married me because you thought you could bleed my family dry.”
Chloe’s chest heaved. She looked around at the estate, realizing her parasitic dream had turned to dust.
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“You’ll pay for this, Liam,” she hissed, pulling the car door shut with a deafening slam.
She jumped into the driver's seat, revved the engine until the tires squealed against the asphalt, and sped down the driveway, kicking up gravel as she fled our lives forever.
