My Fiancée, Her Lover, and My Revenge Chapter 2

Back home, the first thing I did was back up the video. I made a dozen copies, uploading them to every cloud drive and encrypted email account I owned.

The moment I finished, my mom called.

“Leo, what’s this I hear about you and Chloe fighting? Honey, you’re the man, you have to be the bigger person sometimes.”

Before I could even answer, the phone was passed to someone else. It was Chloe’s mother.

“Leo, dear, it’s Diane. I heard what happened, and I am so sorry for what Evan did. I apologize on his behalf.” Her voice was syrupy sweet. “But you know Evan. He and Chloe grew up together, they’re like brother and sister. He was just fooling around, playing a prank on her. Scratching your car… it’s not that serious.”

“Chloe told me we’ll cover the repair costs, of course. Please don’t hold this against her. We can’t let this affect the wedding.”

I clutched the phone, a chill spreading through my chest as I listened to her spin a web of nonsense.

A prank?

Maliciously vandalizing a piece of property worth nearly three hundred thousand dollars was a prank?

“Diane, I’ve seen the security footage. Your daughter, Chloe, knows perfectly well whether or not he was joking.”

The other end of the line went silent. When she spoke again, her tone had hardened. “Leo, what is that supposed to mean? Do you think our Chloe isn’t good enough for you? You’re going to call off the wedding over a stupid car? Do you have any idea what we’ve invested in the down payment for your house…?”

I hung up. Listening to another word felt like drinking poison.

Five minutes later, my doorbell rang. It was Chloe, with Evan in tow.

She must have assumed I’d have cooled down, because she entered with a face full of carefully crafted, tear-stained regret. “Leo, I’m so sorry. I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have hidden it from you.”

“Please don’t be mad at me. My mom already yelled at me.”

Evan trailed behind her, holding a sad-looking fruit basket, a pathetic grin plastered on his face. “Hey, man. Look, I came all the way here to apologize in person. Can you just… let it go? Forgive and forget?”

He set the basket on my coffee table with the air of someone bestowing a great honor.

I remained on the couch, not moving, my gaze fixed on the wall behind them.

“Where’s the new car?”

Chloe’s performance faltered. Evan’s smile froze.

“Leo, do you have to be like this?” Chloe’s patience evaporated, the tears vanishing as if on command. “I already said I’m sorry. What more do you want?”

“I want a new car. Or a check for two hundred and eighty thousand dollars.” I finally looked at her. “Am I not speaking clearly?”

“You’re insane!” she shrieked. “Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?”

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem.” I stood up. “If you don’t have the money, then get out of my house. The door is right there.”

Evan’s face turned a blotchy red. He took a step toward me, puffing out his chest. “Don’t be an asshole, Leo.”

My eyes were ice. “You want to do this? Fine. But I should warn you. If you lay a single finger on me today, this will be about a lot more than just a car.”

He stared into my eyes, searching for a bluff he couldn't find. He backed down.

Seeing that aggression had failed, Chloe switched back to her soft approach. She grabbed my arm. “Leo, baby, we’re about to get married. We’re family. If you make Evan pay that much, how will he ever recover? How can we all stay friends?”

“Family?” I yanked my arm away. “Does family conspire with an outsider to lie to me? To cheat me?”

“And as for friends,” I shot a contemptuous look at Evan, “I have no interest in being friends with a petty criminal who destroys other people’s property.”

My words hit their mark. Evan’s face flushed a deep crimson. “Watch your mouth, Leo!”

“Or what?” I laughed. “Let’s talk about consequences. You have three days. In three days, I either see an identical new car in my parking spot, or I see two hundred and eighty thousand dollars in my bank account.”

“If I don’t, I’m sending that video to everyone. Our entire families, all our mutual friends. I’ll even send it to the alumni networks for both of our colleges.”

“Let’s let everyone see what a loyal ‘big sister’ you are, Chloe. And what a righteous ‘little brother’ you are, Evan.”

The color drained from both of their faces. They were utterly, devastatingly pale.