Chapter 4

David’s expression twisted.

He lunged forward and grabbed my wrist in a vice grip.

"No! I'm not divorcing you!"

"Chloe, you can't be this ruthless!"

"It was just a temporary lapse in judgment! I didn't commit a felony!"

His desperation morphed into hostility.

He was trying to use intimidation to subdue me, exactly the way he used to during our old fights.

I ripped my arm out of his grasp and met his glare with ice.

"If you won't do it amicably, we’ll do it through the court."

"I have every piece of evidence backed up. You are the at-fault party."

"This apartment stays with me. You leave with nothing."

Leaving him frozen, I walked straight into the guest bedroom.

SLAM!

I locked the door from the inside.

David threw his fists against the wood outside.

"Chloe! Open the door!"

"Don't push me! I really don't want to lose you!"

"I love you! I can't live without you!"

"Open the damn door!"

I covered my ears, refusing to hear another syllable of his garbage.

I stayed locked in that room all morning.

David spent hours pacing and banging on the door.

When that failed, he actually called my mother.

A few minutes later, my phone vibrated in my hand.

It was Mom.

I took a deep breath, composed my voice, and answered.

"Hi, Mom."

My mother’s anxious voice came through the speaker.

"Chloe, sweetie, David called. He said you two had an awful fight and you locked yourself in the room?"

"What's going on? Marriage takes compromise. You can't just shut him out and give him the silent treatment."

"David has always been such a reliable boy. What could he have possibly done?"

"Open the door and talk to him like adults."

Listening to her gentle concern, tears threatened to spill over.

I swallowed hard, forcing them back.

"Mom, it's fine. Just a disagreement."

"I just need some space right now. I don't want to talk to him yet."

"Don't worry about me. I can handle it."

Mom sighed on the other end.

"Alright, honey. Take care of yourself. Don't do anything rash."

"If things get too hard, remember your dad and I are always here."

"I know. Love you, Mom."

After hanging up, I leaned against the door.

David must have heard me talking, because he shouted through the wood again.

"Babe, even Mom told you to open up."

"Don't make your parents worry, come on out."

"I made lunch for you. Come eat something."

I didn't utter a word.

I sat in silence until twelve noon.

The tapping outside suddenly stopped.

A second later, violent, heavy banging rattled the apartment’s front door.

"David! Open the door right now!" an unfamiliar voice roared.

Then came the mistress’s screech.

"David! Get your ass out here!"

"Who the hell do you think you are, blocking me on Snapchat?!"

"My parents are here! You owe us an explanation today, or you're dead!"

I smoothed my clothes, took a breath, and unlocked the bedroom door.

David was standing in the living room, frozen in sheer terror.

When he saw me step out, a desperate glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

"Babe, you're out! Please, help me get rid of them!"

"I swear I have nothing to do with them anymore!"

I sneered.

"Nothing to do with them? They’ve tracked you down to your doorstep."

I walked past him and pulled the front door wide open.

Four people were standing in the hallway.

The mistress, an older couple in their fifties, and an athletic young man who looked like her brother.

The moment the woman saw David, she lunged at him.

"David! You absolute scumbag!"

"You promised you’d marry me!"

"You promised you’d meet my parents for lunch today!"

"And then you blocked me?!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Her parents stepped forward, their faces dark with fury.

"Young man, is this how you handle things?" her father barked.

"If you didn't want to get married, why did you invite us out to lunch?"

"Our whole family sat waiting for you at that restaurant for two solid hours!"

David stumbled backward, clutching the walls, cold sweat drenching his shirt.

"Mr. and Mrs. Miller, please, let me explain..."

"There's been a huge misunderstanding..."

The woman wouldn't let him speak.

"What misunderstanding?!"

"Didn't you say we were getting our marriage license soon?"

"My whole family is here right now! If you don't give us an answer, I’ll go straight to your company and ruin your career!"

David was sweating bullets, practically trembling.

He looked at me, his eyes begging for mercy.

I stepped up beside him, watching the circus unfold outside.

My heart was surprisingly calm.

"Save your breath," I spoke up, cutting through the chaos.

"He's already married. How exactly is he supposed to get a license with you?"