Chapter 6: The Panic
Harrison called her new number at 9:47 that night.
Claire had changed her number the same day the divorce was finalized. She only gave it to a handful of people. Harrison must have gotten it from one of his lawyers.
She almost didn’t answer.
But curiosity won.
She picked up on the fourth ring.
“Claire,” Harrison said, his voice tight. “We need to talk. Right now.”
She stood in her kitchen, looking out at the dark river.
“I thought I made it clear that we have nothing left to discuss.”
“You’re freezing accounts. You’re having my company audited. You’re trying to destroy everything my family built.”
Claire’s voice remained level.
“Your family didn’t build anything, Harrison. I funded most of it. And now I’m simply taking back what was mine.”
There was a long silence.
When Harrison spoke again, the polished control was gone. His voice was raw.
“My mother is humiliated. She can’t show her face in half the social circles she used to move in. People are talking. They’re saying we married you for your money and now you’re punishing us.”
Claire felt something cold settle in her chest.
“You did marry me for my money,” she said quietly. “You just never expected me to notice.”
Harrison’s breathing changed.
“Claire… please. We can work something out. I’ll talk to my mother. We can come to an agreement. Just stop this before it gets worse.”
Claire closed her eyes for a brief second.
For a moment, she remembered the early days of their marriage — when Harrison had seemed charming and attentive. Before she realized that his charm was only surface-deep and his attention only lasted as long as her checkbook was open.
“There is no agreement, Harrison,” she said. “Not anymore. You and your mother took everything you could from me for five years. Now I’m simply returning the favor.”
She ended the call before he could respond.
Ten minutes later, Patricia called from a different number.
Claire let it go to voicemail.
The message Patricia left was exactly what Claire expected — a mixture of tears, threats, and self-pity.
“You’ve always been jealous of our family,” Patricia’s voice trembled through the speaker. “You never understood what it meant to be a Voss. Now you’re trying to tear us down because you couldn’t fit in.”
Claire deleted the message without listening to the rest.
She walked to the window and looked out at the city lights.
They still didn’t understand.
May you like
This wasn’t about jealousy.
This was about finally refusing to be used.
