Chapter 8 - The Aftermath in the Parking Lot
The wind off Lake Monona was freezing as we exited the courthouse steps.
My mother caught up with me at the sidewalk, grabbing the sleeve of my coat. Her face was gray, the strain of the past seventy-two hours etched deeply into her skin.
"Claire, please," she begged. "Brielle has to declare bankruptcy. They’re taking everything. Her car, her savings, her inventory... she has nothing left."
"She has what she built," I said, gently pulling my sleeve from her fingers. "Just like I have what I built."
Brielle walked up behind our mother, her arms crossed tight against the chill. She didn't look remorseful; she looked humiliated and spiteful, like a child whose favorite toy had been broken.
"Are you happy now?" Brielle spat. "You ruined my life. You could have signed that paper, and Marcus would have let me pay it back over ten years. You could have helped me!"
"You didn't want my help, Brielle," I said, meeting her gaze without flinching. "You wanted my ruin. You wanted me to risk my marriage, my credit, and Gran’s land so you wouldn't have to grow up. You knocked over my wedding cake because you wanted to prove that even on my wedding day, your feelings mattered more than my entire life."
Brielle’s eyes widened slightly, her lips trembling, but no words came out.
"Don't call me," I told them both. "Don't come to our house. If you send family members to harass us, Nathan will issue formal cease-and-desist notices to every single one of them."
"Claire, she’s your sister!" Mom sobbed, clutching Brielle’s arm. "You only get one family!"
"Then you should have treated me like family," I said.
May you like
Adrian opened the passenger door of our car. I stepped inside, pulled the door shut, and locked it. As we pulled out into the downtown traffic, I looked in the side mirror.
My mother and sister stood alone on the concrete sidewalk, watching our taillights disappear, the city moving around them as if they were entirely invisible.
