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 18

Mr. Henderson became annoyed.

"Martha, you didn't say that when you took those two cartons of cigarettes from me!"

Martha looked up abruptly.

"Shut your mouth!"

The police officer looked over.

"Two cartons of cigarettes?"

Mr. Henderson realized what he had said, and his face stiffened.

Julia, standing next to me, almost laughed out loud.

When it comes to self-destruction, you really don't need anyone else to hand you the knife.

Martha was in a rush to distance herself.

"He also said that after moving in, he would help his sister rent a parking space downstairs for cheap. I was just thinking about neighborhood convenience."

I asked: "Convenience for whom?"

Martha’s lips turned pale.

"Ms. Lin, I was deceived by them too."

I looked at her.

"When you blocked the door to my house and urged me not to call the police, were you deceived then, too?"

She couldn't say a word.

The police officer continued to record.

Finally, he asked everyone to wait for further processing.

When we stepped out of the police station, it was still raining.

Liam caught up to me.

"Chloe."

I stopped.

He stood below the steps, looking miserable in the rain.

"I know I was wrong. If you sign the letter of forgiveness, I will never touch your house again."

I asked: "Again?"

He said urgently: "We don't have to get married, but please don't ruin my job. My workplace already knows; if they keep investigating, I’m truly finished."

I looked at him.

"When you used my house to trade for favors, did you think about whether I would be finished?"

His voice lowered.

"I had no choice back then. My dad owed people money, and my mom was crying every day. I thought we would be a family after we got married, so what was wrong with you helping me out once?"

I almost laughed out loud.

"You stole my door, forged my signature, occupied my house, and threatened me with my mother’s keepsakes. According to you, I’m the one who didn't help you?"

He lowered his head.

Rainwater dripped down his hair.

"I really didn't mean for things to end up like this."

I said: "Villains love saying that line the most."

Julia walked over, holding an umbrella.

"Chloe, let’s go."

Liam reached out to grab me.

Julia struck him with the umbrella handle.

"Touch her again, and I’ll make sure your other hand ends up in the case files, too."

Liam pulled his hand back, his eyes slowly turning vicious.

"Chloe, don't force me."

I asked: "What else do you have left to force me with?"

He stared at me.

"Do you really think no one knows about your grandfather?"

The sound of the rain suddenly grew louder.

Julia looked at me.

Liam acted as if he had grabbed the last straw.

"You’re not clear on why your mother brought you back to the county, are you? If those old family scandals of yours were leaked, do you think you’d be able to stay in your office?"

I didn't speak.

He smiled.

"Scared?"

I raised my head.

"How much do you know?"

Liam lowered his voice.

"Enough to make you regret this."

I looked at him.

"Then go ahead and leak it."

He was stunned.

I said: "Stop just trying to scare people. If you have the evidence, pull it out today."

Liam’s smile froze.

I walked past him.

Julia caught up and whispered: "What’s this about your grandfather?"

I tilted the umbrella slightly toward her.

"My grandfather used to run a factory in the provincial capital, but he was cheated by someone later on. My mother brought me back because she didn't want to get involved with those people anymore."

Julia frowned.

"He’s using this to threaten you?"

"He thinks it’s a stain."

"Isn't it?"

I looked at the curtain of rain.

"No."

A student of my grandfather’s sent me a message this afternoon.

His surname is Gu.

He is now the head of an old, established food factory in the province.

He said the old factory's debts have already been cleared.

The share dividends owed to my grandfather back then have been organized according to the inheritance documents.

The amount isn't astronomical.

But it is enough to hire the best lawyers to fight the toughest lawsuits.

And it is enough to make Liam understand.

He thought I only had one house.

But in reality, I still have a group of people left behind by my mother and grandfather.

Chapter 19

Liam’s counterattack came quickly.

The next morning, a post appeared on the county forum.

The title was:

"Government clerk frames fiancé and neighbors with police reports just to monopolize marital home."

The post was written to stir up sentiment.

It claimed that we had been dating for three years and I backed out right before the wedding.

It claimed the Liam family paid the hotel fees and I refused to refund them.