Chapter 4

After leaving the Southbridge Police Station, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

Suddenly, it all clicked for me. Trying to stay calm and act classy was a pretense. Most of the time, one was fooling oneself. Shoving emotions down didn't mean it would go away.

They would sneak up late at night, hit one hard, and make one replay all that pain and humiliation again and again.

I used to think keeping my cool was a real skill. But later I realized that sometimes that so-called calm was the silence after one had been broken in.

I was done hurting myself to keep the peace. If someone made me suffer, they would get a taste of their own medicine. Fair was fair.

After leaving the Southbridge Police Station, I didn't go straight back to the Bluehaven Hotel.

I had the driver change direction and take me to Willow Grove Residence instead.

Andrew probably figured I'd already agreed to hand over Willow Grove Residence, so I wouldn't bother with anything inside.

Lily probably thought the place was already her prize.

She could waltz in, as she stomped on my necklace, and excitedly go through every trace of Andrew and me from the past ten years, destroy them, take pictures, and show off on social media.

Too bad.

She was too slow.

By the time I got to Willow Grove Residence, it was already dark.

At the entrance, the maple trees had dropped a carpet of dead leaves.

This place had really aged.

One of the hallway lights was out, and the ads in the elevator were all crooked.

But as I stood at the door, entering the code, I still found myself lost in a daze for a second.

When I was twenty-four, Andrew and I moved in here for the first time.

He was hauling a box of pots and pans, and I was carrying a potted plant.

We were so broke back then that we couldn't even afford a decent couch, so we laid down a rug in the living room.

At night, we'd sit on that rug, eating instant noodles, and Andrew would say, all serious, "Charlotte, I promise you, one day I'll give you the best house."

I believed him back then.

It wasn't about the house. I believed in him.

The door swung open.

The place had been empty for ages, and there was a faint smell of dust in the air.

I didn't cry, and I didn't dwell on the memories either.

I flipped on the lights and called the moving company. "Can you send someone over right now? It's urgent. Money's not an issue."

Two hours later, the movers arrived.

I stood in the living room, pointing out each item one by one. "The old photos in the bedroom drawer, pack those up.

"Take the letters from the top shelf of the cabinet. Take the ceramic cup I made by hand from the study.

"Take the plant stand I bought from the balcony. Take all the baking molds, utensils, dishes, cups, and aprons from the kitchen.

"The curtains, I picked them out. Take them down. I bought the full-length mirror at the entrance, so remove it.

"And that painting on the wall, it was the first thing I ever bought for this home with my year-end bonus. Take it down, too."

The mover paused, looking uncertain. "Ms. Evans, do you want all of this taken out?"

I nodded. "Take it all. Anything I ever bought, used, or cared about, pack it up. Leave the rest for them."

By 1 a.m., Willow Grove Residence had been stripped bare. Now, there was nothing left but an empty shell.

Standing in the center of the living room, looking at the blank walls, I finally felt free.

Lily wanted to personally wipe out every trace of my existence. No way.

My heart, my youth, all the proof I once believed in love, there was no way I should let her ruin it.

I was taking it all with me. Even if I never opened it again, she didn't get to mess with any of it.

Before I left, I grabbed a trash can from the kitchen and set it right in the middle of the living room.

Then I pulled out a sticky note, wrote two lines, and stuck it on: [All the stuff you wanted to ruin? I took it with me. The trash can's yours now. It suits you right.]

The next morning, Lily went nuts, calling me nonstop. I ignored her calls.

She sent me dozens of texts, blowing up my inbox.

[Charlotte! Are you crazy?]

[Who said you could clear out Willow Grove?]

[Andrew already promised me that house!]

[Why'd you leave a trash can behind?]

I was sprawled out on the soft bed at the Bluehaven Hotel, sipping my coffee at a leisurely pace. Then I texted her back: [Exactly what it says.]

Lily was probably fuming because she started blowing up my phone with voice messages. I forwarded every single one to George.

George replied: [Got the evidence.]

I smiled. Lily was basically the best witness I could ask for.

Every time she freaked out, she helped me stack up more evidence for my case.

When I found out the video of me beating up the cheater and his mistress at Starlight Plaza was blowing up online, I was at Wildfire Boxing Club, working out.

Honestly, I always hit the gym to stay in shape and keep my energy up. Never in a million years did I think I'd throw hands for real.

Looking back, I couldn't help but feel I held back way too much. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as it should've been. So I signed up for boxing lessons.

During the break, Jake Wilder, the young boxing coach, looked at me, then back at his phone. "Is that really you?"

I grabbed his phone and realized the video was already blowing up.

People had already been digging up info on all three of us.

The comments section was going wild.