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532words2026-01-26 11:23

On the day the company went public, my half-sister Chloe clung to my husband David as they cut the ribbon together.
I knew she was scheming to take my place.
Just like her mother did to my mom all those years ago.

Chloe was David's secretary. They'd been practically joined at the hip.
She even walked around our house in my pajamas.
David just shrugged it off when I confronted him. "Why be so petty to your sister?"
So, I handed him the property settlement papers, smiling faintly.
"Let's divorce. Show me how generous you really are."
David posted the ribbon-cutting photos on Facebook, with Chloe draped all over him like a devoted wife.

I liked the post and commented:
"Perfect match. Congrats."
After six years of marriage, it was the first time I'd ever commented on his social media.
Five minutes later, David called, his voice tight with anger.

"Emma, stop being paranoid. It was just work."
"Why hold your family's grudges against Chloe? She's your sister, for God's sake."
Hearing that felt like something inside me shattered.
David's voice dropped to a low, tense tone.
"It's all in the past. You need to let it go."
"How can I trust you with Lily if you're even hostile to your sister?"
Lily was David's daughter from his first marriage.
As part of our wedding deal, he'd work for the family, and I'd raise the kid.
We'd kept our ends of the bargain, and things had been okay.
My vicious stepmom had locked me in a dog cage when I was young. Ironically, David had learned it and sworn he'd make them pay.
But after hiring Chloe as his secretary, he'd forgotten all about that promise.
He even expected me to let go and play nice.
I didn't bother arguing. What was the point?
After a long silence, I hung up.
In all our years together, I'd never lost my temper like this. Everyone in our circle envied him for marrying such a patient woman.
So, realizing something was wrong, David cut his workday short and rushed home.
He walked in to find me holding a whip, scolding Lily.
The girl flung herself into his arms, playing the victim.
"Emma tried to hit me, Daddy! Make her leave!"
David wiped her tears, then glared at me.
It wasn't that he didn't trust me. He just hated any kind of harsh discipline.
"Can't you just talk to her?"
Talk? That would be useless.
That afternoon, Lily's teacher had called to say Lily had hit other kids and called them "bastards".
That word hit too close to home. Chloe and her mom had always used it for me.
Lily refused to apologize, so I'd grabbed the whip to scare her straight.
Just then, Chloe hurried in, fake-concerned.
"Don't blame Emma, David. She's just having a rough day."
Then she handed a lollipop to Lily.
The girl beamed, sniffing as she took it.
"Daddy, I want Aunt Chloe to be my mom, not that mean lady."
Chloe was great at bribing people, especially a nine-year-old.
Disgust washed over me.
I tossed the whip at David's feet and said flatly,
"You deal with her. I'm done."