Chapter 12 - A Voice from the Past
"Chloe?" The voice on the burner phone was thick with raw emotion, disbelief, and unshed tears. It was Sarah, my best friend from college. Arthur had cunningly convinced me early in our relationship that Sarah was secretly jealous of us, that she was toxic, and had actively tried to sabotage our wedding. He manipulated my fragile emotions until I cut all ties with her in a medicated haze. "Sarah, it's me," I whispered frantically, hiding deep in the master walk-in closet, surrounded by my expensive, curated wardrobe, with the bathroom shower running loudly in the background to muffle my voice. "Oh my god, Chloe. Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to find you for over a year! Arthur told everyone in our circle you were at a private, secluded retreat in Switzerland dealing with intense grief over your parents!" "He's been drugging me, Sarah," I choked out, the horrifying reality of the words burning my throat as I spoke them aloud to another human being. "He's trying to steal the entire Vance trust fund. He's trying to have me declared incompetent. I need your help immediately. I need you to go to the estate lawyer, Mr. Sterling, and tell him everything Arthur says is a setup. Tell him Arthur is quietly filing for full conservatorship." "I'm leaving my office right now," Sarah said fiercely, her voice hardening from shock to pure protective rage. "We are getting you out of that house, Chloe. Just hold on. Don't let him know you remember who you are. Play dumb. We are coming for you." I hung up the phone and quickly hid the small burner device inside the thick, padded lining of my heavy winter coat. I took a deep breath, plastered on my blank smile, and stepped out of the closet just as the bedroom door abruptly opened. Arthur stood there in the doorway, his eyes cold, calculating, and probing. "Who were you talking to?" he asked, his voice dangerously low, quiet, and perfectly level.
