Chapter 16 - The Uninvited Guest
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Two months passed in blissful, uninterrupted silence.
The divorce was finalized. The estate was entirely mine. I spent my days redesigning the house, erasing every trace of Daniel’s existence. I turned his old home office into a massive library and threw away all the dark, oppressive furniture he had loved.
I was sitting in the newly bright, sunlit living room one afternoon, sipping a glass of expensive wine, when the doorbell rang.
I frowned. I wasn't expecting any deliveries, and I had long since blocked my mother and sister’s numbers.
I walked to the front door and looked through the peephole.
My breath hitched.
Standing on my porch, looking incredibly thin, haggard, and desperate, was Ashley.
She wore a cheap, oversized coat, her hair unwashed and pulled into a messy bun. The glamorous, arrogant sister who had smirked at me on Christmas was entirely gone, replaced by a broken shell of a woman.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open just a few inches, leaving the security chain attached.
“What do you want, Ashley?” I asked coldly.
“Claire, please,” she begged, her voice cracking as tears instantly spilled down her hollow cheeks. “Please, let me in. Just for five minutes.”
“We have absolutely nothing to talk about,” I said, preparing to shut the door.
“Mark is going to kill me!” Ashley shrieked, pressing her hands frantically against the heavy wood of the door.
I froze.
“Mark divorced you, Ashley. You signed the papers. He got what he wanted.”
“You don't understand,” she sobbed, looking over her shoulder in absolute terror. “I found something before I left him. Something in his private safe. I took it, Claire. I took it for leverage, but I was stupid. I didn't know how dangerous he really was.”
My blood ran cold. Stealing from a syndicate boss wasn't just stupid; it was an active death wish.
“What did you take?” I demanded, keeping the chain securely fastened.
“A ledger,” Ashley whispered, fresh tears pouring down her face. “A black book with names, accounts, politicians he’s bribing. I thought I could use it to force him to give me a settlement! But his men are following me. They broke into my apartment yesterday. I have nowhere else to go. Mom won't even answer my calls.”
“Because Mom is a coward who only loves winners,” I stated brutally.
“Claire, you have to help me,” she pleaded, dropping to her knees on my porch. “I know I ruined your life. I know I’m a terrible person. But he’s going to murder me.”
I stared down at the sister who had slept with my husband. The sister who had smiled in my face while destroying my family.
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“I’m sorry, Ashley,” I said softly, staring into her terrified eyes. “But I don't have a sister.”
I shut the heavy oak door, the loud click of the deadbolt echoing in the silent foyer.
