Chapter 3 - The Unexpected Arrival
I refused to let a coward with a crowbar force me out of my own home.
The very next morning, I hired a professional company to install a state-of-the-art security system.
Cameras now covered every single inch of my property, linking directly to my cell phone.
Jessica called me to confirm she had filed the initial federal paperwork for identity theft.
She warned me that the process would be brutal, but it was the only way to save my home.
I went to work, desperately trying to focus on my job and pretend my life wasn't falling apart.
By the time I drove home that evening, the ocean breeze finally helped me relax.
I pulled into my driveway, feeling a small sense of pride as I looked at my house.
I opened my security app to disarm the alarm before getting out of my car.
I glanced at the live video feed from my front porch camera and completely froze.
Someone was sitting on my front steps.
It was my younger sister, Beth.
She wasn't wearing her usual arrogant smile or designer clothes.
She was wearing a dirty sweatshirt, and she was crying hysterically into her hands.
I cautiously stepped out of my car and walked toward her.
Beth looked up, revealing a dark purple bruise forming across her left cheekbone.
“Joanna, please,” she sobbed, wrapping her arms around her knees.
“Mom found out you hired a lawyer, and she went completely crazy.”
I wanted to tell her to leave, but she looked genuinely terrified.
“She canceled the wedding, and she told them where I live,” Beth cried.
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Before I could ask her who “they” were, a black SUV slowly rolled past my house.
The tinted window rolled down, and someone inside snapped a photograph of us.
