Chloe stepped out of the heavy oak front door. Her sneakers crunched on the gravel driveway. The cool autumn wind pushed her dark hair back from her face. She did not look back.

She had made it halfway down the driveway when the front door slammed open behind her. The heavy oak smashed against the exterior wall with a bang that echoed across the estate.

Amber burst onto the stone porch. Her designer heels clicked frantically against the masonry. "Chloe!" she called out, her voice dripping with sickeningly sweet mockery. "Leaving so soon? Without even saying goodbye to your sister?"

Chloe stopped walking. She did not turn around.

Amber jogged down the steps, breathing heavily as she caught up. She stepped directly into Chloe's path, blocking her with the confidence of someone who had never been told no. She held up her left wrist, shoving the diamond-encrusted face of a luxury watch inches from Chloe's eyes.

"Preston bought it for me yesterday," Amber announced, her voice loud enough to carry across the entire driveway. "He said it was a token of true love. You know, I almost felt bad for you. Almost." Her smile sharpened into something venomous. "But then I remembered—he never truly loved you, did he? He only pitied your pathetic poverty. Every kiss, every promise... it was all just charity."

Chloe lowered her gaze to the watch. Her eyes scanned the metal band, the specific cut of the glass face. She let out a bored sigh and shifted the weight of her backpack.

"That watch is from last season's discount rack," she said calmly. "He couldn't even be bothered to buy you something current. But I suppose you're used to receiving leftovers by now."

Amber's smug smile vanished. Her face contorted with sudden humiliation and boiling rage. "You spiteful little—"

The deep, throaty growl of a sports car engine cut her off. Amber's head snapped toward the street. She recognized that sound. Everyone on this estate did.

Amber's expression shifted instantly. The rage dissolved. The vulnerable victim slid back into place. She grabbed her own right ankle with both hands and threw her upper body backward, slamming into the gravel with practiced precision. She dragged her knees across the sharp rocks, tearing the skin open. Bright blood beaded against her pale legs.

Then she opened her mouth and let out a piercing, theatrical scream that could have woken the neighbors three estates over. "Help! Someone help me! She pushed me!"

Preston ran through the wrought-iron gates. His eyes were wide with panic. He rushed to Amber's side and dropped to his knees in the dirt, ruining his expensive tailored trousers without a second thought.

"Amber! Baby, are you okay?" He gathered her into his arms, his hands trembling as they hovered over her bleeding knees.

Amber's face crumpled. She pointed a shaking finger at Chloe. "She—she shoved me! I only came out to say goodbye, and she attacked me! She said I stole you from her and she would make me pay!"

Preston's head snapped up. His face twisted with righteous fury. "You vicious, jealous bitch," he snarled at Chloe. "She came out here to wish you well, and this is how you repay her? By putting your hands on her? You really are as worthless as they always said."

Chloe looked down at him—at this man who had once whispered promises in her ear, now kneeling in the dirt, cradling a liar in his arms. Her expression settled into pure, unadulterated disgust.

"You're a cheating scumbag," she said, her voice flat and cold. "You deserve a liar like Amber. You deserve each other."

She raised her hands, palms facing him. Clean. No dust. No dirt. No evidence of any struggle at all. "Look closely, Preston. Really look. If I shoved her, where's the dirt on my hands? Where's the scuff on my shoes? Or are you too busy playing the hero to notice the obvious?"

Preston's angry tirade died in his throat. His eyes dropped to her perfectly clean palms, then to Amber's dramatically bloodied knees, then back to Chloe's immaculate clothes. The math was simple. Even he could do it.

Amber saw the doubt flicker across his face. "She's lying!" she shrieked, clutching his arm. "She pushed me and then wiped her hands! You saw her!"

But Preston said nothing. His jaw tightened. For the first time, something that looked almost like uncertainty crossed his features.

Chloe did not wait for his answer. She turned her back on both of them—on the man who had betrayed her and the sister who had orchestrated it all. She left Amber bleeding in the gravel, her perfect performance unraveling behind her.

She continued walking down the long driveway. She did not look back.