Chapter 11 - My Sister's Pregnancy Announcement
Of all the lies my sister had told, this was the first one that genuinely frightened me.
Not because I believed her.
Because I was beginning to understand how desperate my mother had become.
"Chloe, listen to me," I said. "Don't make that announcement."
She was crying.
"Mom says we don't have a choice."
"Of course you have a choice."
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it."
She lowered her voice.
"Northbridge sent another letter. Dad says they're demanding repayment. Mom says Adrian has enough money to make everything disappear."
I closed my eyes.
There it was again.
Adrian's money.
Everything returned to Adrian's money.
"He's a person, Chloe. Not a bank account."
"I know."
"Do you?"
She didn't respond.
I softened my voice.
"If you falsely claim you're carrying his child, you could seriously damage several people's lives, including your own."
"Mom says once he sees how devastated you are, he'll agree to help us settle everything quietly."
I stared at the wall.
My mother intended to manufacture a scandal so outrageous that Adrian would pay to make it disappear.
The attack hadn't worked.
The canceled-wedding rumors hadn't worked.
The fake invitations hadn't worked.
So she had moved to the next available weapon.
A baby who didn't exist.
"Chloe, are you actually pregnant?"
"No."
"Then don't do it."
A long silence followed.
Finally, she whispered, "I have to go."
The call ended.
I immediately contacted Rebecca.
Then Adrian.
He listened to the entire conversation without interrupting.
When I finished, he leaned against his office desk.
"She admitted it's false?"
"Yes."
"Did you record the call?"
"No. I wasn't expecting it."
"That's all right. Write down everything you remember while it's fresh. We'll preserve the call log and messages."
He sounded calm.
But I knew him.
When Adrian became unusually quiet, it meant he was thinking through every possible consequence.
"Are you angry?" I asked.
"At Chloe? Yes. At Margaret? Considerably."
"At me?"
He looked almost offended.
"Why would I be angry with you?"
"Because my family is turning your life into a nightmare."
Adrian approached me.
"Evelyn, your parents' behavior is not a debt you owe me."
I looked down.
He gently lifted my hand.
"Don't let them make you apologize for surviving them."
The announcement appeared at 10:17 the following morning.
Chloe posted a photograph of a tiny pair of white baby shoes beside a diamond bracelet.
Her caption read:
Some truths are difficult to reveal, especially when they could hurt someone you love. But an innocent child deserves honesty. Please pray for our family.
She didn't explicitly name Adrian.
She didn't have to.
Within minutes, gossip accounts connected the post to her previous claims about our canceled wedding.
Anonymous sources suggested that Adrian had been privately involved with Chloe before proposing to me.
One account claimed my injuries were the result of an emotional family confrontation over the supposed affair.
I stared at the screen.
My mother had managed to transform my father's attack into evidence of my alleged jealousy.
Nathan called.
"Do not read the comments."
"Too late."
"Evelyn—"
"I know."
"Adrian's communications team is preparing a statement."
I nodded, forgetting he couldn't see me.
Then another message arrived.
This one was from Rosa.
Miss Evelyn, I think I have something important.
Rosa came to the penthouse carrying a small shopping bag.
Inside were photographs, receipts, and several handwritten notes.
"I packed these when Mrs. Mercer dismissed me," she explained. "They were among household records I was responsible for maintaining."
She placed a receipt on the table.
It was from a novelty and party supply company.
The purchase included decorative baby shoes, announcement accessories, and custom gift packaging.
The order had been placed three days before Chloe's supposed revelation.
The customer's name was Margaret Mercer.
I stared.
"You kept this?"
"Mrs. Mercer asked me to collect the package. I found the order details in the household records when she later told me to discard them."
Nathan leaned closer.
"That doesn't prove everything."
"No," Rebecca agreed. "But it's relevant to the chronology."
Rosa produced another item.
A printed scheduling note.
Margaret had arranged a meeting with a public relations consultant to discuss a "family maternity announcement."
The appointment had been made before Chloe's social media post.
I looked at the older woman.
"Rosa, you may have just saved us from a much larger problem."
She smiled sadly.
"I wish I could have saved you from the first one."
I took her hand.
"You did more than you know."
By noon, Adrian released a short statement through his representatives.
It confirmed that he remained committed to me and denied having any romantic relationship with Chloe Mercer.
It also requested that the public refrain from circulating unsupported allegations involving private medical matters.
He didn't insult my sister.
He didn't reveal our private conversations.
He simply stated the facts.
Margaret was furious.
She called Rebecca's office and accused Adrian of publicly humiliating Chloe.
Rebecca asked whether Margaret wished to communicate through counsel.
My mother hung up.
That evening, Chloe appeared outside my apartment building.
Security contacted me before allowing her upstairs.
I almost refused.
Then I remembered Grandma's recording.
Chloe is not your enemy by birth.
I agreed to see her with Adrian nearby.
My sister entered wearing an oversized sweater and sunglasses.
She removed them slowly.
Her eyes were swollen.
For once, she didn't look like a woman trying to win a competition.
She looked like a frightened twenty-six-year-old who had finally realized she was participating in something dangerous.
"Mom says Adrian ruined my reputation," she whispered.
I stared at her.
"Chloe, you announced a pregnancy that doesn't exist."
"I know."
"Why?"
She began crying.
"Because I thought if I helped them, they'd finally stop telling me I was useless."
The words caught me off guard.
Our parents had spent years convincing me I was responsible for everyone.
Apparently, they had spent just as long convincing Chloe that she was nothing without their approval.
She sat opposite me.
"I don't know how to fix this."
I considered her for a long moment.
"Start by telling the truth."
She nodded.
Then reached into her handbag.
"I brought something."
It was a folded document.
At the top were the words:
MERCER FAMILY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT.
My name appeared on the first page.
So did Adrian's.
I read the opening paragraph.
My stomach turned.
The document proposed that I publicly withdraw my allegations against my parents, renounce certain inheritance claims, and refrain from discussing the assault.
In exchange, the family would supposedly agree to stop making statements about my personal life.
"And Adrian?" I asked.
Chloe looked down.
"Mom wants him to guarantee the Northbridge loan."
I turned to the final page.
There was already a signature beneath my name.
An imitation.
I looked up.
"Who signed this?"
Chloe's lips trembled.
"Mom told me to practice your handwriting."
The room fell silent.
May you like
Then she whispered the sentence I would remember for the rest of my life.
"She said you've spent thirty-two years being the responsible daughter. You could sacrifice one more thing."
