Half an hour later, Harper and I were on the way back to Willowbrook, Harper driving as I processed everything Jenna had told me. She’d admitted it all — researching us online,finding out about the bar and my finances, deliberately timing her first text about Leo to arrive on Chloe’s birthday because we lived our lives online, and it made it easy for her to know exactly when to strike. Going to Chloe’s clinic, telling Chloe I was planning to leave her and move in with them. Everything was designed to push Chloe out so Jenna could have the life she wanted. I was quiet, my mind cycling through Jenna’s words and what they meant for getting Chloe back.
“You did well in there,” Harper said eventually as we were near Willowbrook. “You were direct, you set boundaries, you didn’t let her manipulate you. That’s the Sam who should have shown up six days ago when Jenna first texted. Better late than never.”
Back at the house, Harper made coffee while I called Arthur. He answered on the second ring, despite it being a Saturday afternoon.
“Sam. I was wondering when I’d hear from you. Got the paternity results?”
“99.9%. Leo’s mine.” I took a breath. “But there’s more. Jenna went to see Chloe and lied to her - told her I was planning to move out and be with them. Convinced her I was choosing them over her. Chloe left. Jenna just admitted to all of it.”
There was a pause. “Do you have a witness to this conversation?”
“Yes. Harper was there. Jenna admitted everything - that she researched us, found out about the bar and my finances, saw me as a way to get the security she lost when her marriage ended.”
“That’s useful. Shows motive for manipulation.” I heard Arthur typing. “Sam, I’m going to call a PI I work with. I need background on Jenna and her ex-husband. Something doesn’t add up here.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she’s willing to lie to your girlfriend to manipulate the situation, I want to know what else she might be lying about.” More typing. “The PI can dig into the divorce, David’s side of things. If she’s using Leo as a pawn, I need to know the full picture before we set up any custody arrangement.”
Relief flooded through me. “Thank you, Arthur.”
“This is going to take a few days, maybe a week. In the meantime, keep documenting everything - every interaction with Jenna, every expense you’ve paid, every conversation about Leo. Call me immediately if she contacts you again. No agreements, no promises, nothing without me reviewing it first.” Arthur paused. “And based on how things are going, it’s probably best if you don’t meet with Jenna in person again. Any future discussions should be in writing or with me present. Understood?”
“Understood.”
After I hung up, Harper looked at me questioningly.
“Arthur’s hiring a PI to look into Jenna and David’s divorce. He thinks something doesn’t add up.”
“Smart,” Harper said. “The ‘real Sam’ would have done that from the beginning.”
She was right. The panic had made me reactive instead of strategic. But I was thinking clearly now.
I sat at the kitchen table where Chloe had left her note. I read it again, seeing her pain in every word, her belief that I was choosing Leo and Jenna over her.
I pulled out my phone and typed a text to Chloe, knowing she probably wouldn’t read it anytime soon, but needing to say it anyway. I hit send, knowing she’d turned off her phone, knowing it might be days before she saw it. But I’d said what I needed to say.
Now I just had to wait for her to come home.
Chapter 15
Chloe - Nine Days After Chloe’s Birthday
Three days on the road had taught me that running away solved exactly nothing.
Like animals who fled when injured, distance didn’t heal the wound - it just delayed treatment. And delayed treatment often made things worse.
I’d driven aimlessly for the first day, putting miles between myself and Willowbrook until I was too exhausted to drive anymore. Small motels, cheap diners, long stretches of highway where I could pretend my biggest problem was which exit to take next. I’d slept ten hours a night in anonymous rooms, and gone completely incommunicado from everything that reminded me of my real life.
And through it all, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sam.
Not the Sam that Jenna had described – the man trying to figure out how to restructure his life without me in it. The real Sam, the one who made Sunday morning pancakes shaped like hearts when I’d had a rough week. The Sam who listened to me decompress after difficult cases without trying to fix everything, who rubbed my shoulders when I was stressed about a sickanimal, who held me like I was the most precious thing in his world. The man who always saved me the last bite of his dessert.
On Monday morning, my third day away, I finally turned on my phone.
Twenty-two missed calls from Sam. Voicemails, which I haven’t listened to. More text messages than I could count, starting desperate and gradually becoming more determined. The most recent one made my chest tighten:
Chloe, I know you need space, and I’m trying to respect that. But I need you to know that everything Jenna told you was a lie. I bought your engagement ring months ago and was planning to propose on your birthday, but then Jenna showed up with Leo, and I was completely blindsided. I thought I needed to figure everything out first before asking you to take on a ready-made family. I was planning to tell you everything when I got home and ask if you’d still consider marrying me. I never wanted to end our relationship. I want to marry you more than anything. I love you, and I want you to be Leo’s stepmother if you’ll have us both. I’ll be waiting at home when you’re ready to hear the truth. Love, S
