My Family, My Friends, My Fiancé, All Hers Chapter 03
I turned and walked away, refusing to listen to the whispers behind me.
But when I went home to pack my things, I found myself locked out.
The smart lock lit up again and again. I tried until my fingertips were raw, but it still wouldn’t let me in.
An older neighbor came home with her groceries and called out with a smile.
“Honey, why aren’t you bringing that little dog with you today?”
I blinked. “I don’t have a dog.”
She waved a hand. “Of course you do. I saw you add its paw scan to the lock yesterday.”
“That dog was a handful. Your parents were right there, trying to soothe it.”
I stood frozen, my mind blank.
I was allergic to dog fur. Any contact made me break out in hives and spike a fever.
Chloe had always been the one who loved dogs.
Of course. How simple was that?
They’d deleted my access profile so Chloe’s dog could come and go whenever it wanted, then registered the dog’s paw scan instead.
The home I’d lived in since childhood no longer had room for even one of my fingerprints.
I let out a bitter laugh and turned away.
There weren’t many things in that house that belonged to me, but my ID and other documents were still at the condo Ethan and I had planned to share after we got married.
I called a rideshare to the condo and booked a flight to Seattle on the way there.
Seattle held an opportunity my research adviser had offered me long ago.
I had stayed behind for Ethan and Chloe before.
Now, at last, I had the chance to pursue my own dreams.
The moment I got out of the car, someone yanked my hair hard enough to make me stumble.
When I looked up, I saw a man with a vicious face.
“You’re coming with me, you filthy bitch! Trying to run again?”
Terrified, I fought back and screamed for help.
“Help! I don’t know him! Let go of me!”
A passerby saw what was happening and grabbed the man’s arm.
“What the hell are you doing? Let her go, or I’m calling the police!”
The man glanced around nervously and was just about to let go.
At that moment, Jason, Emily, and the others came around the corner.
They stared at the man dragging me and froze.
Hope flared in my chest. I reached toward them.
“Please, help me!”
Their next words froze the hope in my chest.
“I can’t believe Ethan was telling the truth. She really was jealous enough to come to the condo and cause a scene. Good thing we got here.”
Jason gave a cold laugh and pulled the passerby away from the man.
“Sir, don’t get involved. This is just a couple having a fight.”
The passerby looked at me doubtfully. “But she said she didn’t know him.”
Jason pulled a photo from his bag and held it out to him.
“We’re her friends. Does this look fake to you? She just has a temper and got upset with her boyfriend.”
Emily’s eyes flickered with conflict, but she still turned her face away.
“Claire, today is the most important day of Chloe’s life. I can’t stand by and watch you ruin her wedding night.”
After looking at the photo, the passerby walked away, still looking doubtful.
I stared at them in despair as tears spilled down my face.
Megan left them with one final sentence.
“Chloe knew you’d come to the condo to ruin everything. She only hired someone to take you back. Stop pretending to be a victim.”
Then they got into the car, hit the gas, and sped away.
