Chapter 4 - The Unwelcome Guests
I shoved the terrifying life insurance folder back into my mother's purse just as the front door rattled.
My heart pounded furiously against my ribs as I realized they weren't just trying to ruin me financially.
They were actively preparing for a scenario where I didn't survive the year.
The heavy oak door swung open, and Derek walked in carrying two massive designer suitcases.
He wore a smug, arrogant grin that made my stomach churn with absolute disgust.
His two young children ran past him, immediately knocking over a vase in the hallway without a care in the world.
My mother rushed forward, throwing her arms around Derek as if he were a returning war hero.
Derek hugged her back, then looked over her shoulder and glared directly at me.
He rudely asked why I was still standing there ruining his homecoming vibe.
I kept my expression entirely blank, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear or anger.
I told him I was just leaving and picked up my winter coat from the dining chair.
My mother clapped her hands together and demanded that I leave the spare house keys on the counter immediately.
I reached into my pocket and tossed a cheap, generic set of keys onto the granite island.
They were fake keys I had cut at a hardware store just for this exact moment.
Derek laughed and told me to make sure I didn't forget how to lock the door on my way out.
I zipped up my coat and walked past him, smelling the strong scent of cheap cologne and stale alcohol.
Just as my hand touched the front doorknob, another person stepped out of Derek's idling car in the driveway.
I froze entirely on the front porch as the woman walked slowly up the concrete steps.
She was visibly pregnant, resting her hand protectively on her swollen stomach.
Derek hadn't mentioned bringing a new fiancée to live in the house.
The woman pulled off her sunglasses, and all the air completely left my lungs.
It was Sarah, my former best friend who had vanished from my life completely two years ago.
She looked at me with a twisted, apologetic smile that didn't reach her cold eyes.
Sarah whispered that she was so sorry things had to end this way between us.
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Before I could process the shock, Sarah leaned in and whispered something even more horrifying.
She told me that Derek didn't just steal my money, he stole the promotion I had been promised at my own company.
