Chapter 6 - Turning on Each Other
Eleanor was right. When the money vanished, so did the romance.
The walls of the lake house must have felt like a prison for Chloe and Julian over the next week. Through neighbors, I heard the screaming matches. The shattering of glass. The ugly death throes of a marriage built on lies and Instagram filters.
Julian, realizing the criminal fraud charges were imminent, did what cowards always do: he turned on his partner.
He went back on Facebook, deleting his previous post, and wrote a new one. “I am deeply sorry to announce my separation from Chloe. I have recently discovered she was secretly stealing from her own mother to fund her shopping addiction. I was blinded by love, but I cannot stand by a criminal. I am moving out to protect my peace.”
He threw her completely under the bus.
Chloe called me, hysterical, screaming at 2:00 AM. "He left me, Mom! He took the car and left! The police came today asking questions about the forged signature! He told them I did it! He told them it was all my idea!"
"Did you forge it, Chloe?" I asked, my voice heavy with exhaustion.
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"He told me to! He said it was the only way we could afford the lifestyle! Mom, you have to save me! I'm your daughter!"
"You're a grown woman," I replied. "And you traded your family for a man who used you as a shield. You have two weeks left to vacate my house."
