Chapter 4 - The Business of Betrayal
The drive back to Edgewater was completely silent, the weight of his sudden financial isolation settling heavily into Derek's chest.
He had spent years using Skylar’s hard-earned logistics salary to fund his image, buying perfectly pressed suits and paying for his sister's expensive trips to ensure everyone thought he was the successful one.
Now, his phone showed a barrage of notification alerts from his insurance firm.
The corporate car lease—the one Skylar had quietly co-signed through her business LLC—had just been flagged for immediate repo verification.
He unlocked the front door of the apartment at 6:43 p.m., his mother sitting on the living room sofa with a tight, anxious expression on her face.
"Derek, thank God you're here," his mother said, her voice shaking as she held up a legal manila envelope left by a courier.
"Two police officers showed up an hour ago. They served a temporary protection order. You have twenty-four hours to vacate this property."
"This is my house!" Derek shouted, his face turning an angry shade of crimson as he ripped the paper from her hands.
"She bought it, Derek," his mother whispered, her eyes dropping to the floor. "The country club friends... they're already talking. They saw the police cars outside this morning."
Suzanne sank onto the armchair, her hands gripping her head as her world of easy luxury completely dissolved.
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"What about my salon course?" she cried. "What about the trip next week? Derek, you told me she would always understand because we're family!"
"She's not family anymore, Suzanne," Derek said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying register as he stared at the copy of the police report still sitting on the kitchen counter.
