Chapter 4: The Women Who Came Before Me
The room felt smaller after those words appeared on my phone.
*Now ask him what happened to the women before you.*
I read the message twice.
Then a third time.
My eyes moved from the screen to Derek.
He was standing in the center of the room surrounded by his family, but for the first time since I met him, he looked alone.
Not powerful.
Not in control.
Cornered.
And that terrified me.
Because I realized something.
Derek was never at his most dangerous when he was angry.
He was most dangerous when he was losing control.
“Chloe,” he said quietly.
Everyone turned toward me.
“What did that message say?””
I locked my phone.
“Nothing.””
His eyes narrowed.
A tiny reaction.
But I caught it.
Because Derek was not asking like a husband.
He was asking like someone checking whether a plan had been exposed.
Natalie watched him carefully.
“You know who it is, don’t you?””
Derek looked at her.
“Don’t start.””
“That means yes.””
Brenda stepped between them.
“This family has had enough drama for one day.””
I looked at her.
Drama.
That word again.
The same way Derek had called my humiliation “a scene.””
They had a habit of shrinking painful things into harmless words.
Mistreatment became discipline.
Manipulation became family tradition.
Betrayal became drama.
I folded my arms.
“No.””
My voice surprised everyone.
“No, I think I’ve had enough pretending.””
Derek stared at me.
“Chloe.””
I ignored him.
I looked at Natalie.
“Tell me everything.””
A wave of discomfort moved through the room.
Several relatives looked away.
Good.
Let them be uncomfortable.
I had spent enough time protecting people who were comfortable hurting me.
Natalie glanced at Derek.
He shook his head slightly.
A warning.
She saw it.
And she continued anyway.
“I met Derek five years ago.””
She walked toward the table and placed her hands on the back of a chair.
“He was charming. Patient. He remembered everything I said.
My favorite coffee. My mother’s name. The little things.””
My stomach tightened.
Because those were the same things Derek had done with me.
The same details I thought proved he cared.
“He made me feel like I was the only person in the world.””
Natalie smiled sadly.
“That’s what he does.””
Derek interrupted.
“That’s enough.””
“No,” she said.
“It’s not.””
Her eyes moved back to me.
“He found out I was receiving money from my father’s estate.””
The room went silent.
“He didn’t ask directly. He was smarter than that. He made me believe I wanted to share everything with him.””
I felt a cold feeling crawl up my arms.
Because suddenly I remembered.
The conversations Derek and I had.
The questions disguised as affection.
How much do you trust your financial advisor?
Do you still have access to your grandmother’s accounts?
Do you think you’ll ever sell the company shares?
At the time, I thought he was interested in my future.
Now I wondered if he was studying it.
“What happened?”” I asked.
Natalie looked down.
“I married him.””
The words were simple.
But the pain behind them was not.
“Six months later, he convinced me to sign documents.””
“What documents?””
“Power of attorney.””
A murmur moved through the room.
“He told me it was normal. Something married couples did.””
My heart sank.
The same sentence.
The same technique.
Derek had used almost identical words with me.
“It wasn’t normal,” Natalie continued.
“It gave him access to my accounts.””
Derek shook his head.
“This is insane.””
Natalie laughed.
“No. What’s insane is that I still believed you when you told me you loved me.””
Nobody spoke.
Derek looked at me.
“Chloe, you’re not seriously listening to this woman.””
I turned toward him.
“Why not?””
“Because she’s bitter.””
Natalie’s expression didn’t change.
“Am I?””
He didn’t answer.
I stepped closer to Derek.
“Did you marry her?””
“Yes.””
“Did you access her money?””
“That’s complicated.””
I almost smiled.
There it was.
The answer.
People only say something is complicated when the simple answer would make them look guilty.
I looked at Natalie.
“What happened after?””
She took a breath.
“After I refused to give him full control, he changed.””
Derek’s face hardened.
“Stop.””
But she continued.
“He stopped pretending.””
The room was completely silent now.
“He told me I was useless. That I owed him because he had chosen me.””
My fingers curled.
The words sounded familiar.
Not because Derek had said them to me.
Because I had heard them downstairs.
The idea underneath his cruelty was the same.
You should be grateful I chose you.
“He started bringing Brenda into our arguments.””
Natalie looked at Derek’s mother.
“She told me a wife’s job was to support her husband.””
Brenda lifted her chin.
“I was trying to save your marriage.””
“No,” Natalie replied.
“You were trying to save your son.””
That landed harder than shouting.
Brenda’s face tightened.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.””
Natalie looked at her.
“I know exactly what I’m talking about.””
Then she turned back to me.
“Eventually, I found out Derek had debts.””
I frowned.
“Debts?””
“He wasn’t wealthy.””
A strange feeling moved through me.
The Walker house.
The expensive cars.
The designer clothes.
All of it.
A performance.
“He needed money from women to maintain the image.””
Derek laughed bitterly.
“You actually believe this?””
I looked around.
At the furniture.
The decorations.
The expensive paintings.
Then at him.
“Yes.””
The answer came before I could stop it.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The pressure to marry quickly.
The insistence that I move into his family home.
The constant questions about my finances.
The paperwork he wanted me to sign.
It was never about building a life.
It was about gaining access.
Derek stepped closer.
“Chloe, you’re letting a stranger destroy our marriage.””
I stared at him.
“Our marriage?””
My voice lowered.
“We’ve been married less than a day.””
Nobody moved.
Because that was the truth.
A marriage could end after years.
But mine had started with a lie.
Derek’s face changed.
A flicker of anger.
Then control returned.
“Go upstairs.””
I blinked.
“What?””
“Go upstairs. We’ll discuss this privately.””
There it was.
The command.
The assumption that I would follow.
I looked at Brenda.
She looked away.
I looked at his relatives.
Some looked ashamed.
Others looked curious.
Nobody defended me.
Nobody stopped him.
I shook my head.
“No.””
Derek’s jaw tightened.
“What did you say?””
“I said no.””
The room went completely quiet.
Because apparently the most shocking thing I had done all day wasn’t refusing to kneel.
It was refusing to obey.
Derek lowered his voice.
“Don’t embarrass me.””
I almost laughed.
“You’re worried about embarrassment?””
His expression darkened.
“Chloe.””
“No, Derek.””
I held up the photograph Natalie gave me.
“I want answers.””
“You’re making a mistake.””
“Maybe.””
I looked directly at him.
“But it’s my mistake to make.””
Before he could respond, the front door opened.
Everyone turned.
A man stood there.
Older.
Gray hair.
Expensive suit.
He looked completely out of place.
Until Derek saw him.
Then all the color disappeared from his face.
“Mr. Walker,” Brenda whispered.
The man ignored her.
His eyes went directly to me.
“Chloe Morgan?””
I froze.
“Yes?””
He reached into his briefcase.
“I’m sorry to arrive this way.””
He pulled out a document folder.
“But after seeing what happened today, I believe you deserve the truth.””
Derek moved forward.
“Don’t.””
The man looked at him.
“I warned you this would happen.””
My heart started pounding.
“Who are you?””
The man handed me the folder.
“My name is Richard Hale.””
I recognized the name.
Everyone in my family knew it.
He was my grandmother’s attorney.
The man responsible for protecting the trust fund Derek wanted.
I opened the folder.
The first page was a legal document.
The second page made my blood run cold.
Because it was dated two weeks before my wedding.
And beneath my name was a signature.
My signature.
Except I had never signed it.
Richard’s voice became quiet.
“Your husband has been attempting to activate control over your inheritance.””
I looked at Derek.
He wasn’t angry anymore.
He wasn’t pretending.
He looked terrified.
Then Richard added:
“But that isn’t the worst part.””
He pointed to the bottom of the document.
“There is another name listed as the person who helped prepare this fraud.””
I slowly turned the page.
And saw the name.
A name I never expected.
A name that made my entire body go cold.
*Chloe Morgan.*
My own name.
And suddenly I understood.
May you like
Someone wasn’t just trying to steal from me.
Someone was trying to make it look like I was the criminal.
