Chapter 6
Three days later, the reality of poverty began to sink deep into the marrow of their expensive lifestyle. The refrigerator was nearly empty because they had no cash to purchase groceries without their corporate credit cards.
Julian sat at the kitchen table staring at a pile of unpaid utility bills stamped with final overdue warnings. Clara was packing her designer clothes into suitcases, planning to flee to her estranged sister's small apartment in New Jersey.
"I am not staying another minute in this freezing house with a mother-in-law who treats us like stray dogs," Clara declared bitterly. "Your sister lives in a two-room walk-up; you won't survive forty-eight hours without room service and maids," Julian mocked.
Clara zipped her leather duffel bag with a violent tug, her face twisted in a mask of pure, unadulterated venom. "At least she doesn't live under the thumb of an arrogant tyrant who cuts off her children when they ask for help," she spat.
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Julian didn't try to stop her; he knew their marriage was just another casualty of their shared, bottomless greed. The doorbell rang sharply through the silent house, breaking the tense atmosphere with a cold, administrative finality.
Julian walked slowly to the front door, pulling it open to find a county sheriff holding a formal court summons.
