Chapter 3 - The Facebook Facade
By Tuesday, Julian had gone on the offensive.
My phone started blowing up with notifications from friends, relatives, and church members. Julian had posted a massive, 1000-word essay on Facebook and Instagram, tagging Chloe.
“It breaks my heart to write this,” his post began, accompanied by a black-and-white photo of him and Chloe looking devastated. “After pouring our life savings and blood, sweat, and tears into renovating our dream home, Chloe’s mother has suffered a severe mental break. She is legally trying to evict us right before Christmas, claiming the house is hers. We are heartbroken, facing homelessness, and asking for prayers as we deal with this toxic, abusive situation.”
The comments were rolling in. Hundreds of them. People calling me a monster, a terrible mother, suggesting I had dementia.
My phone rang. It was Chloe.
"Mom," she sobbed into the receiver. "Please. Julian's parents cut us off. They won't speak to him because he lied about buying the house. If you don't drop the eviction, we have nowhere to go. Please tell everyone the post is true. Save Julian’s reputation!"
"He committed wire fraud, Chloe," I said coldly.
Dead silence on the line.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out about the $45,000 loan?" I asked. "Or did Julian convince you that forging my signature was just part of 'building your nest egg'?"
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"Mom, he said it was just a temporary loan! We were going to pay you back! If you press charges, he’ll lose his job!"
"He should have thought about that before he blocked my doorway," I said, and hung up. I took a screenshot of Julian’s defamatory post, emailed it to David, and turned my phone on Do Not Disturb.
