Chapter 10 - Chloe's Confession
That evening, the doorbell rang at the Vance residence. Julian answered the door, surprised to see his elderly neighbor standing on the porch alongside a pale, shivering teenager holding a small backpack. It was Chloe. She had taken a city bus across town by herself, defying her mother for the very first time in her life.
"She asked to see you, Mr. Vance," the neighbor said gently. "She was sitting on the bench at the bus stop looking completely lost."
Julian’s initial defensive posture melted the moment he looked into his niece's exhausted, bloodshot eyes. He stepped aside and opened the door wide. "Come on in, Chloe. You're safe here."
Chloe walked into the warm, quiet foyer and immediately broke down. Elena came out of the kitchen, taking one look at the weeping girl, and immediately wrapped her in a warm hug, guiding her to the living room sofa where she wrapped her in a fleece blanket and handed her a mug of hot cocoa.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Chloe sobbed, her whole body shaking. "Mom has been losing her mind all week. When she saw that the video was posted online, she broke a glass against the wall and blamed me for ruining her life! She said we're going to be homeless because of me and Aria!"
Aria, who had been reading in the den, walked timidly into the living room. She looked at her older cousin, her short pixie cut catching the warm lamp light. Chloe looked up, her eyes widening as she saw how beautiful Aria looked despite the trauma.
"Aria..." Chloe whispered, reaching out a trembling hand. "I should have pulled the scissors away from her. I should have thrown the phone out the window. I am such a coward."
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Aria didn't hesitate. She walked over, climbed onto the sofa, and put her small arms around her teenage cousin's neck. "You're not a coward, Chloe. Daddy told me you sent him the video so people would know the truth. That saved me. You're my hero."
Julian looked at Elena over the girls' heads. Despite his hatred for Clara, he knew right then that he would never let her innocent children become collateral damage in their mother's self-destruction.
