Chapter 4 - The House That Became a Prison
Mark stood alone in the master bedroom.
Her side of the closet was almost empty.
The baby monitor was gone.
Leo's crib was gone.
Even the little blue blanket that usually hung over the chair had disappeared.
For years, Mark had complained that the house was noisy.
Now the silence felt unbearable.
Chloe entered carrying fabric samples.
"I was thinking cream walls."
Mark did not respond.
"And maybe replacing those curtains."
Still nothing.
Chloe dropped the samples onto the bed.
"Are you listening?"
"I don't care about curtains."
"You will when I'm living here."
Mark turned slowly.
"We never agreed you were moving in."
Chloe stared at him.
"I'm carrying your child."
"So?"
The answer surprised both of them.
Chloe recovered first.
"So I'm not staying in some apartment while your wife keeps a mansion she abandoned."
"She's still my wife."
Chloe's expression changed.
"For now."
Mark walked downstairs.
On the kitchen counter lay the divorce papers delivered that morning.
He had read them three times.
Every reading felt worse.
His wife was seeking primary custody.
Financial disclosure.
Temporary support.
Exclusive access to personal property.
And protection against the disposal of marital assets.
Mark had always believed money gave him control.
Now his money was being examined by strangers.
Every account.
Every investment.
Every transfer.
Every secret.
He poured a drink.
Chloe entered the kitchen.
"Your attorney said we should fight aggressively."
"My attorney doesn't know my family."
"Your family left you."
Mark slammed the glass down.
Chloe flinched.
"You wanted this," she said.
Mark looked at her.
"Did I?"
Her mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
A memory appeared without warning.
His wife sitting on the kitchen floor three months earlier, laughing as Leo threw peas from his high chair.
Mark had been irritated by the mess.
He had checked his phone while she laughed alone.
At the time, he had considered that ordinary.
Now he would have given anything to hear that laughter again.
Chloe moved toward him.
"We're going to have our own family."
Mark stared at her stomach.
For the first time, the thought brought no excitement.
Only dread.
Later that night, he opened the security system on his phone.
He scrolled backward through old recordings.
There she was.
His wife carrying groceries.
His wife walking Leo outside.
His wife waiting at the window on nights Mark claimed to be working late.
He knew where he had actually been.
With Chloe.
At 2:00 a.m., Mark found footage from the night everything collapsed.
He watched his wife walk away.
Then he watched himself stand motionless while she left.
Something inside him cracked.
Behind him, Chloe appeared in the doorway.
"Come to bed."
Mark closed the screen.
"No."
Her eyes narrowed.
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The mansion had once belonged to a family.
Now two people who barely trusted each other were fighting over its empty rooms.
