"Don't pretend. It was you who gave me the wedding contract and said to just sign it. It was also you who said Chloe didn't have the guts to call the police."

Mrs. Henderson shouted along.

"That’s right! He said the house would be his sooner or later, so he told us to stay without worry!"

Liam’s mother rushed over to hit Mr. Henderson.

"You’re lying!"

The conference room turned into a mess.

I didn't move.

I turned on my phone’s voice recorder.

Let them hand me the knife themselves.

Liam’s face was livid, and he finally roared:

"Enough! So what if I wrote it? Wasn't I trying to save money for our wedding?"

When these words fell, even Mrs. Henderson fell silent in the conference room.

The pen in Martha’s hand dropped to the floor.

Uncle Zhou held his teacup but didn't drink for a long time.

Sarah covered her face.

I looked at Liam.

"Say that again."

Liam seemed to finally realize what he had said, his lips trembling.

I placed my phone on the table.

The recording interface was glowing.

He couldn't say it again.

Someone knocked on the door.

The police were standing there.

"Is Chloe here? Regarding the materials for the signature forgery, we need you to submit additional evidence."

Chapter 15

I picked up the brown paper bag.

As I passed Liam, he grabbed me.

"Chloe, I was just saying that out of anger."

I looked at the hand he used to grab me.

"Let go."

He didn't.

"You can't ruin me."

I asked him, word for word:

"When you were ruining me, did you ever ask me?"

The police officer walked in.

Liam’s hand loosened.

I handed over the materials.

The officer flipped to the first page and looked at him.

"Liam, please come with us."

Liam’s mother let out a scream.

"On what grounds are you taking my son?"

The officer said: "Suspected signature forgery, illegal entry into another person’s residence, and misappropriation of property—all require verification."

Liam’s mother collapsed back into her chair.

Liam looked at me, his voice dry.

"Chloe, are you really going to abandon me?"

I hugged my mother’s jewelry box tightly.

"From the moment you gave away that key, I stopped having a fiancé."

After Liam was taken away, no one mentioned a settlement in the conference room.

The Henderson family moved out of my house that same night.

While moving, Mrs. Henderson still tried to take one of my storage racks.

Julia grabbed it.

"Put it down. Does your family lack racks, or do you lack shame?"

Mrs. Henderson grumbled curses.

When the police officer looked over, she immediately let go.

Sarah passed me while carrying a box.

She had changed back into her own shoes.

At the door, she suddenly stopped.

"That pair of slippers—I washed them."

I looked at her.

"Throw them away."

Her face reddened.

"Don't be so excessive."

I said: "Wearing something someone else’s mother bought, yet complaining about others being excessive. Sarah, is everything your parents taught you just how to take advantage of people?"

Sarah gritted her teeth and didn't dare reply.

Chen Hao was the last to come out.

He was holding a plastic bag.

"I found this in my mom’s bag. Your key chain and a few photos."

He handed me the bag.

I took it.

Inside were old photos of my mother.

There were water stains on the back of the photos.

Chen Hao whispered: "I'm sorry."

Julia was grumpy.

"You’re saying sorry now because you’re afraid of getting in trouble."

Chen Hao didn't refute.

"Yes. I am afraid. But if I hadn't spoken up yesterday, they would have continued to occupy the place."

I looked at him.

"Speaking up doesn't mean you’re clean. But I will state honestly that you cooperated in returning the items."

He let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

I didn't reply.

He walked into the elevator, his back hunched.

The room was finally empty.

There were oil stains all over the floor, chili stains on the sofa cover, and my mother’s photo frame had been discarded in the corner of the TV cabinet.

In the bedroom, my bedsheets had been replaced with Sarah’s pink ones.

The closet was stuffed with Mrs. Henderson’s cotton-padded jackets.

Julia rolled up her sleeves, ready to vent:

"Is this moving into a house or ransacking it?"

I opened the window.

The night wind poured in.

I said: "Take pictures first."

We started from the entryway, taking photos of every spot.

The oil stains, the damaged door lock, the moved furniture, the missing small items.

Every single thing was documented.

When we reached the study, I saw an extra piece of paper on the desk.

It wasn't mine.

It was a renovation quote.

Liam’s name was written on it.

There were a few lines of text below.

"Renovation funds for Chloe’s pre-marital property, advanced by Mr. Henderson, to be repaid by Liam using joint funds after marriage."

The date was the day before I left.

In other words, before I had even refused to lend the house, Liam had already struck a deal with Mr. Henderson.

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.

"Don't pretend. It was you who gave me the wedding contract and said to just sign it. It was also you who said Chloe didn't have the guts to call the police."

Mrs. Henderson shouted along.

"That’s right! He said the house would be his sooner or later, so he told us to stay without worry!"

Liam’s mother rushed over to hit Mr. Henderson.

"You’re lying!"

The conference room turned into a mess.

I didn't move.

I turned on my phone’s voice recorder.

Let them hand me the knife themselves.

Liam’s face was livid, and he finally roared:

"Enough! So what if I wrote it? Wasn't I trying to save money for our wedding?"

When these words fell, even Mrs. Henderson fell silent in the conference room.

The pen in Martha’s hand dropped to the floor.

Uncle Zhou held his teacup but didn't drink for a long time.

Sarah covered her face.

I looked at Liam.

"Say that again."

Liam seemed to finally realize what he had said, his lips trembling.

I placed my phone on the table.