Chapter 4: The Final Sentence
Chloe tried to fight it. She hired the most expensive, aggressive lawyers in the city, but they dropped her the moment they saw the evidence. She was a pariah. The press that once fawned over her "fairytale wedding" now dissected her "nightmare character."
She made one last-ditch effort to save her reputation. She cornered Julian at his office, screaming in the lobby, demanding he talk to her.
Julian walked out of the elevator, looking lighter than he had in years. He didn't yell. He didn't fight. He just looked at her with a profound, terrifying pity.
"You really don't get it, do you?" Julian asked, his voice quiet. "You think this is about a shove. You think this is about the money."
"It is about the money!" Chloe shrieked, tears ruining her expensive makeup. "I loved you, Julian!"
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"No," Julian said, checking his watch. "You loved the idea of being 'Mrs. Sterling.' You loved the gala invites. You loved the power. But when you shoved that woman—when you shoved Margaret—you didn't just show me who you were. You showed the world. You attacked the woman who believed in me when I had nothing. That wasn't a mistake. That was your soul."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "The police are on their way, Chloe. Not for the wedding. For the fraud. You pushed the one person who could have saved you, and now, there’s nobody left to catch you."
