The key piece of evidence was that boarding agreement.

I demanded on the spot to retrieve the original signature from the wedding company.

Liam, sitting in the corner, looked up at me when he heard this:

"Chloe, there is no need to go this far."

I said: "There is."

He whispered: "I admit I let them move in, but I didn't write the agreement."

Mr. Henderson immediately turned his head:

"Liam, what do you mean by that?"

Liam didn't look at him:

"I only provided the sample; it was Mr. Henderson who said he’d find someone to write it up to scare Chloe."

Mr. Henderson kicked the chair leg:

"Bullshit!"

Mrs. Henderson panicked too:

"Didn't you say at the beginning that she was soft-hearted and would sign if we pressured her?"

The officer looked up:

"Stop arguing. One at a time."

The sound of dogs biting dogs was sweeter than any defense.

Chapter 13

At 2:00 AM, I walked out of the police station.

Julia draped her coat over my shoulders:

"Can you still hold up?"

I nodded.

She said: "The homeowner mediation meeting is tomorrow; they will definitely make a scene. Property management is afraid of liability and will force you to settle."

I looked at the jewelry box in my hands.

The corner of the wooden box had been chipped.

But the words "Chloe, peace and safety," carved by my mother, were still there.

I said: "Then let them make a scene in public."

Julia looked at me.

I handed her the message from the wedding company on my phone.

The wedding company boss said:

"Ms. Chloe, the original is still here. You can come pick it up tomorrow morning."

Julia finally smiled:

"There will be a show to watch tomorrow."

I hugged the jewelry box tightly:

"It’s not a show."

I looked in the direction of the neighborhood:

"It’s a settling of accounts."

The next morning, the property management posted a notice.

At 7:00 PM, the Building 2 owner mediation meeting would be held.

The pretense was to coordinate neighborhood disputes.

The reality was to force me into a settlement.

As soon as I entered the conference room, I heard Mrs. Henderson crying:

"Our family has been dragged to the police station; the elderly even have high blood pressure now. How can a young girl be so cruel?"

Mr. Henderson sat next to her with gauze on his face.

It was said he had fallen down on his way home last night.

Sarah sat in the corner, not daring to look at me.

Chen Hao did not come.

Liam’s mother was there too.

She wore a red jacket and held a stack of wedding invitations.

As soon as she saw me, she slammed the invitations onto the table:

"Chloe, you’ve brought shame upon our family!"

I pulled out a chair and sat down:

"The shame was brought by your son himself."

Liam’s mother pointed at me:

"Liam ran around for you, and not only are you ungrateful, you called the police to arrest him. Any man who marries a woman like you is doomed."

Julia sat beside me:

"Ma’am, your son sent others into his fiancée's home; do you still think he’s the victim?"

Liam’s mother sneered:

"Isn't the house going to be a marital home anyway? What's wrong with letting neighbors live there for a few days in advance? Besides, the Henderson family promised to help renovate it without costing you a penny; you’re just being difficult."

I looked at her:

"You knew about this too?"

Liam’s mother paused.

Martha quickly intervened:

"Everyone is here to solve problems today, not to argue. Ms. Chloe, the Henderson family is willing to move out, but they hope you will drop the charges. Liam also said that the marriage can still be discussed."

I asked: "Who said it can still be discussed?"

The conference room went quiet for a moment.

Liam entered from the door.

He looked like he hadn't slept all night, his clothes severely wrinkled.

He looked at me, his tone lowered:

"Chloe, I am willing to apologize. The house is yours, and I will help you find the missing items. Please don't cancel the wedding."

Liam’s mother panicked:

"Liam, why are you bowing your head to her?"

Liam ignored her.

He walked in front of me:

"I spoke in haste at the station yesterday, and I admit some responsibility. But I truly never wanted to hurt you."

I asked: "You didn't want to hurt me, yet you helped them enter my home?"

He didn't speak.

"You didn't want to hurt me, yet you gave them my signature samples?"

His face turned even uglier.

"You didn't want to hurt me, yet you used my mother’s keepsakes as a bargaining chip?"

Liam couldn't hold back anymore:

"I just wanted you to be softer! You divide everything so clearly; the house is yours, the money is yours, the things are yours. Do we still divide 'yours' and 'mine' after we get married?"

Julia cursed: "Marriage is a partnership, not a robbery!"

Uncle Zhou had arrived too.

He sat in the back row and coughed:

"Young Liam, that’s not right. A pre-marital home is rightfully hers."

Liam’s mother turned to glare at him:

"You’re an outsider, stop interrupting."

Uncle Zhou set down his teacup:

"I was an outsider yesterday, too, and I almost helped you perform a false witness. I’m here today to set the record straight."

Martha’s face grew even uglier.

Mr. Henderson slapped the table:

"Enough! We’ll take the loss and move out. But Chloe must sign a waiver, or I will take this agreement and sue her for breach of contract."

I looked at him:

"You still dare to mention the agreement?"

Mr. Henderson stiffened his neck:

"An agreement is an agreement. You say you didn't sign it—where is the evidence?"

Mrs. Henderson immediately followed up:

"That's right, who can prove you didn't sign it?"

Liam whispered: "Chloe, stop making trouble. Handwriting issues are very troublesome; you can't afford to waste the time."

He still thought I couldn't afford the time.

I took a brown paper bag from my bag.

I placed it on the table:

"The original signature from the wedding company, I have retrieved it."

Chapter 14

Liam’s hand stopped at the edge of the table.

I opened the paper bag.

Inside were the hotel reservation, the wedding photo contract, and the wedding process confirmation form.

Every single one had my signature on it.

Julia placed a copy of the boarding agreement next to them.

"Before the same date, Chloe signed these three documents. Liam took two of them to process materials. The signature on the boarding agreement—the way the strokes pause and the way the final stroke ends—looks like a tracing."

Mr. Henderson was still stubborn.

"You say it looks like one, so it is one?"

A man’s voice came from the door of the conference room.

"It’s not her saying it looks like one; it’s me."

A middle-aged man wearing glasses walked in.

He was Mr. Zhou from the county Calligraphy and Painting Association, the teacher the wedding company had hired to write invitations for newlyweds.

I had met him once before.

Mr. Zhou pushed his glasses up.

"Ms. Chloe asked me to look at this. The name on the agreement—the strokes start slowly and end heavily, as if traced stroke by stroke from a sample. Official results come from an institution, but even an ordinary person can see it looks awkward."

Martha began to sweat.

Mr. Henderson still wanted to argue.

"Who are you to be an authority?"

Mr. Zhou glanced at him.

"I’m not a major authority. But I’ve taught hard-pen calligraphy for twenty years. I can tell who writes naturally and who traces with a guilty conscience."

Liam’s mother’s voice quieted down.

Liam suddenly stood up.

"Let’s end this here. I’ll pay."

I asked: "Pay for what?"

"Name a number. Damage to the jewelry box, the door lock, cleaning fees—I’ll pay for it all."

I looked at him.

"Do you think I came here today to sell you an invoice?"

He looked impatient.

"Then what more do you want?"

I pulled out the last sheet of paper.

A notice of engagement cancellation.

And the cancellation requests for the hotel, the wedding planner, and the wedding photography studio.

I pushed the paper toward him.

"Sign it."

The conference room fell silent.

Liam’s mother exploded first.

"No! Invitations have been sent out, relatives have been notified—if you call off the wedding now, how are we supposed to face people?"

I said: "Ask your son how he’s supposed to face people."

Liam stared at the words "Engagement Cancellation."

"Chloe, do you really have to be this cold-blooded?"

I replied: "The day you entered my home, you should have thought about today."

Mr. Henderson suddenly laughed.

"Calling off the wedding is fine, but our family won't take the fall alone. Whoever imitated the agreement, let him speak clearly."

Liam looked at him sharply.

Mr. Henderson dropped the act.