Chapter 5
The elevator's glossy surface reflected my calm face.
I pressed the button for the seventh floor.
The elevator glided smoothly upward.
I needed to know exactly which unit Eric and Vivian were living in.
The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped out.
Seventh floor, two units. Unit 701 and Unit 702.
Two identical doors, both locked up tight.
I still couldn't tell which unit they lived in.
I took out my phone and opened up the location app.
I was looking at the nearly unmoving blue dot on the screen.
With my phone out, I walked over to the door of Unit 701.
The distance stayed exactly the same.
I headed over to the door of Unit 702.
The blue dot on my phone lined up almost exactly with the red one showing where I was.
This was it.
Standing outside Unit 702, I could just make out the sounds of an argument coming from inside.
That was Eric and Vivian.
"This is all your fault! You made me fake moving to Norland, and now look what happened! She's come knocking!"
That was Eric, his voice tight with anger.
"You're blaming me? Eric, do you even have a conscience? Who was it that said he loved me and wanted to dump that old housewife for me?"
Vivian shot back, her voice sharp and biting.
"Now she's transferred all the money away, and you're blaming me? How are we supposed to live with nothing?"
"Shut up! I'll handle the money!" Eric barked.
"Handle it how? When have you ever managed anything without her? You're nothing but a pathetic loser!" Vivian spat.
"Say that again!" Eric growled.
A loud crash came from behind the door, like something had been knocked over.
Vivian's cries and screams echoed out right after.
Listening to them tear each other apart, I felt nothing but cold inside.
This was the man I'd loved for five years.
This was the 'love' he promised would last forever.
Pathetic. Ridiculous.
I didn't bother listening any longer.
I reached out and jabbed the doorbell.
Ding-dong—ding-dong.
The sharp ring of the doorbell sliced through their shouting, and suddenly everything went silent.
The whole apartment fell quiet in an instant.
I patiently kept pressing the doorbell, again and again.
After about a minute, the peephole went dark for a moment.
Someone was watching me.
I flashed a bright smile toward the peephole.
Another thirty seconds passed, and finally, the door opened just a crack.
Vivian stood behind the door, her face wet with tears, but her expression guarded and hostile.
She was wearing a man's silk robe.
I recognized it. It was the robe I'd given Eric for his birthday last year.
Seriously ironic.
"Who are you looking for?" she asked.
She played dumb, but her gaze was shifty, flickering with unease.
I looked at her like she was nothing but a sideshow clown.
"I'm looking for my husband, Eric Holden." I said.
"Is he in there?"
My voice stayed calm, but there was a force behind it she couldn't ignore.
Vivian's face drained of all color.
She instinctively tried to shut the door.
But my foot was already stuck in the doorway.
"Get him out here." I said.
My voice was cold as ice.
"There's no one here you're looking for! Get out of here, or I'll call the cops!" Vivian tried to sound fierce, but her voice was shaky.
"Call the cops?" I said, laughing.
"Sure, go ahead." I replied.
"Yeah, let the cops come and see who's actually breaking into someone else's home.
"By the way, the down payment for this place was all my money.
"My name might not be on the deed, but I've kept every single bank record."
Vivian's face instantly drained of all color.
Just then, Eric showed up behind her.
His face was dark with rage, hair messed, eyes burning with humiliation and fury.
"Helen! What the hell do you want?" he growled at me.
"What do I want?" I said, slow and deliberate.
I looked him dead in the eye and spoke each word clearly.
"I want you both to get out of my apartment."
"Your apartment? Helen, don't you dare accuse me! The title's got my name on it!" Eric barked.
Eric squared his shoulders, shouting defiantly.
"Is that so?" I said, pulling out my phone and hitting play on a recording.
I pulled out my phone and tapped the recording.
It was a recording of a call we had before we bought this place.
"Helen, can we just put my name on the deed for now? You know how my mom is old-school. She thinks a man should have his own apartment. But trust me, this is our home, I swear..."
The recording rang out clearly in the quiet hallway.
Eric's face went to a deep shade of purple.
He probably never imagined I'd prepare it from the very beginning.
"Eric, you've got two choices." I said, my voice icy.
I turned off the recording and stared at him.
"Option one: Take Vivian and get the hell out of here, right now.
"Option two: I call the cops. I'll press charges against both of you for fraud and trespassing.
"And by the way, I'll print out a thousand copies of all this evidence, plus those intimate photos of you two, and hand them out right outside your office building.
"And I'll even mail a copy to Vivian's school."
"Your choice." My words slammed into them like a sledgehammer.
Eric staggered, his eyes full of shock and fear.
Vivian was trembling, completely terrified.
Watching them lose their minds, I didn't feel even a hint of satisfaction.
All I felt was disgust.
I'd given him more than enough chances.
Back at the airport, and every time he lied to me.
He deserved it.
Some neighbors' doors cracked open just a bit in the hallway.
People were peeking out, watching the drama unfold.
Eric's pride was completely crushed under my heel.
He glared at me, his eyes burning with anger.
"Helen, you're ruthless!" he spat.
My face was stone cold.
"I'll count to three." I said, my voice icy.
"One."
"Two."
Just as I was about to say "three."
Eric shoved Vivian aside and burst out from behind her.
He lunged at me like a wild beast.
"I'll kill you!" he roared.