Chapter 7: The Secret Behind Chloe’s Ring
“Someone claiming to have proof that Julian’s entire engagement was built on a lie.””
I sat in my car outside Sarah’s office, gripping the steering wheel.
The engine was off.
The air conditioning had stopped.
But I didn’t move.
I couldn’t.
Because somehow, after everything I had already learned, there was still another layer.
Another secret.
Another thing my family had hidden.
“Who contacted them?”” I asked.
Sarah’s voice came through the phone.
“We don’t know yet.””
“What do you mean?””
“The message came through an anonymous account.””
“An anonymous account?””
“Yes. But the information they provided was specific.””
I looked out at the street.
“What information?””
“A debt.””
I closed my eyes.
“Julian’s debt?””
“Yes.””
“How much?””
Sarah hesitated.
“That depends on what’s true.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“It means the person who contacted us claims Julian owes money connected to Chloe.””
My hand tightened around the steering wheel.
“Connected to Chloe?””
“Yes.””
For months, Chloe had been presented as the reason behind everything.
The perfect bride.
The woman with the impossible dream wedding.
The woman whose trust fund was supposedly coming after the ceremony.
But now there was a question.
Was she another victim?
Or was she part of the plan?
“I need to see the message,” I said.
“I’ll forward it.””
A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.
The email contained screenshots.
The first image was a message.
*Your brother is not marrying Chloe because he loves her. He’s marrying her because he thinks she can save him.*
I stared at the words.
The second message:
*Ask Julian about the money he borrowed before the engagement. Ask him why he needed a wedding this expensive.*
The third:
*Ask him who paid for the ring.*
I froze.
The ring.
The diamond ring I had admired the night Julian announced his engagement.
The ring Chloe wore proudly in every photo.
The symbol of their future.
I read the message again.
Ask him who paid for the ring.
“Sarah.””
“Yes?””
“Did you verify this person?””
“Not yet.””
“Can you?””
“We’re trying.””
I looked at the screenshots.
“Send me Chloe’s contact information.””
“You already have it.””
“I need to talk to her.””
“Ethan.””
“What?””
“Be careful.””
I understood what she meant.
Not because Chloe was dangerous.
Because emotions were dangerous.
I was angry.
Hurt.
Exhausted.
And when people were in that state, they sometimes wanted simple answers.
A villain.
A hero.
A clean ending.
But real life rarely worked that way.
I called Chloe.
She answered after three rings.
“Ethan?””
Her voice sounded nervous.
“You knew.””
Silence.
A long one.
“What?””
“The ring.””
Another pause.
“What about it?””
“Who paid for it?””
I heard her breathing change.
“Why are you asking me that?””
“Because someone contacted Sarah with information about Julian’s debts.””
She didn’t speak.
“Chloe.””
“I need to see you.””
“Where?””
“Somewhere private.””
An hour later, we met at a small coffee shop away from downtown.
No family.
No cameras.
No wedding planners.
Just two people sitting across from each other with a mountain of secrets between them.
Chloe looked different.
Not like the woman in the wedding photos.
Not polished.
Not perfect.
Just tired.
“I should have told you sooner,” she said.
I looked at her.
“About the ring?””
She nodded.
“How much did it cost?””
“Eighty thousand dollars.””
I stared.
“And Julian paid?””
Her eyes dropped.
“No.””
“Who?””
She swallowed.
“Your father.””
I almost laughed.
Of course.
Again.
My father.
“He bought the ring?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Chloe wrapped her hands around her coffee cup.
“Because he wanted Julian to look successful.””
I looked away.
The pattern was becoming obvious.
Appearances.
Everything was about appearances.
A wedding that looked wealthy.
A family that looked successful.
A son who looked accomplished.
Even if everything underneath was falling apart.
“Did you know where the money came from?””
She shook her head.
“Not at first.””
“When did you find out?””
“Two months after the engagement.””
“How?””
“Julian told me.””
“What did he say?””
Her eyes filled with shame.
“He said it was temporary.””
I leaned back.
“Temporary.””
“Yes.””
“That word keeps appearing.””
“I know.””
“What else did he tell you?””
She looked down.
“That his family would help him.””
I almost smiled.
“His family.””
She looked at me.
“I’m sorry.””
I believed she was.
But I still needed answers.
“Chloe, why did you stay?””
Her eyes moved to the window.
“Because I was embarrassed.””
“Embarrassed?””
“I came from a family where everyone expected me to have everything together.””
She paused.
“My parents thought Julian was successful. Everyone did.””
“But he wasn’t.””
“No.””
The honesty surprised me.
“He was drowning.””
“And you?””
“I was too.””
That answer changed something.
Not forgiveness.
Understanding.
Because maybe Chloe wasn’t the mastermind.
Maybe she was another person trapped inside Julian’s performance.
“Why the expensive wedding?””
She looked at me.
“Because Julian thought if the wedding looked perfect, everything after would fix itself.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
She hesitated.
Then:
“He believed marrying me would solve his financial problems.””
I felt cold.
“Because of your trust fund.””
She nodded.
“But there’s something you don’t know.””
“What?””
“My trust fund isn’t what Julian thinks it is.””
I stared at her.
“What do you mean?””
“My parents changed the conditions.””
“When?””
“Before the engagement.””
My eyes narrowed.
“So the money wasn’t coming after the wedding.””
“No.””
“What did Julian think?””
“He thought once we married, he would have access.””
I sat quietly.
The entire wedding was built on a misunderstanding.
A fantasy.
A future that didn’t exist.
Then why did he need me?
Why did he need my money?
Because the fantasy was collapsing.
And I was the last person holding it up.
“Chloe.””
“Yes?””
“Did Julian know?””
She looked away.
That was enough.
“He knew.””
“Yes.””
“And he still went through with everything?””
She nodded.
“He thought he could figure it out.””
I looked at her.
“That’s why he needed the contracts.””
“Yes.””
“And that’s why he needed me gone.””
“Yes.””
The pieces connected.
The wedding wasn’t just a celebration.
It was a rescue attempt.
A desperate attempt to create the appearance of success before everything collapsed.
My phone buzzed.
Sarah.
I answered immediately.
“Ethan.””
Her voice was urgent.
“We found the anonymous sender.””
“Who?””
A pause.
Then:
“It was someone connected to Julian.””
I stood.
“Who?””
Sarah took a breath.
“His former business partner.””
I frowned.
“Julian had a business partner?””
“Yes.””
“I didn’t know.””
“Your family probably didn’t want you to know.””
“What happened?””
“According to the records, Julian borrowed money from him.””
“How much?””
“Forty thousand dollars.””
I looked at Chloe.
She watched my expression.
“What is it?”” she asked.
I ignored the question.
“Sarah, why would his former partner contact us now?””
“That’s the part you need to hear.””
“What?””
“He says Julian didn’t just borrow money.””
I waited.
“He says Julian promised him a percentage of the wedding gifts.””
My stomach tightened.
“The wedding gifts?””
“Yes.””
I looked at Chloe.
She looked confused.
“What does that mean?””
I didn’t answer.
Because I already understood.
Julian wasn’t just spending money he didn’t have.
He was counting money that didn’t belong to him yet.
He had planned his future around promises.
Promises to me.
Promises to Chloe.
Promises to creditors.
The entire wedding was a house built on imaginary walls.
Then Sarah said the words that made my blood run cold.
“Ethan, there’s more.””
“What?””
“The former business partner didn’t just provide financial records.””
“What did he provide?””
“A video.””
“What kind of video?””
A pause.
“A video of Julian and your father discussing how to make sure you took responsibility for everything.””
I looked at Chloe.
Then at the crowded coffee shop around me.
People laughing.
Talking.
Living normal lives.
Meanwhile, my family had been building a trap.
“Send it.””
Sarah did.
The video file appeared.
I clicked.
The screen showed a dim room.
Two people sitting at a table.
Julian.
My father.
Their voices were clear.
Julian looked nervous.
My father looked calm.
Then Julian said:
“What if Ethan refuses?””
My father answered:
“He won’t.””
“And if he does?””
My father leaned closer.
“Then we make him believe he has no choice.””
I stopped the video.
Because I already knew what came next.
But I pressed play anyway.
And my father said the sentence that changed the entire story.
“Ethan has spent his whole life proving he’s not selfish.””
A pause.
“So we’ll use that.””
The video continued.
Then Julian asked:
“And what about Chloe?””
My father smiled.
“She doesn’t need to know everything.””
My hand froze.
Because suddenly, the question wasn’t only what my family had done to me.
It was what they had done to everyone.
Then the video revealed one final detail.
A detail that made Chloe cover her mouth in shock.
Because my father wasn’t talking about paying off Julian’s debts.
He was talking about something much bigger.
May you like
Something involving my company.
And my name.
