My Last Plea Was His Worst Mistake Chapter 06

My Last Plea Was His Worst Mistake Chapter 06

Ethan went to my studio.

The wind chime let out a soft tinkle as he pushed the door open.

I’d made it myself, bead by bead.

He used to complain it was too noisy every time he came.

I asked him once why he always brushed against it anyway.

He said, “So you know I’m here.”

Later, Chloe said the chime gave her the creeps. After that, he never touched it again.

This time, his shoulder hit it.

The clear, delicate sound fell through the air.

He stood in the doorway for a long time, unable to step inside.

Half-finished jewelry still sat on the workbench. A cracked sapphire brooch lay under the lamp.

Next to it was an Official Early Lease Termination Submission.

Dated the day of the fire.

Wyatt picked it up and read it slowly.

“Luna was planning to move out.”

Ethan took the paper from him, crumpling its edge in his palm.

In the drawer was a stack of medical reports.

Chronic asthma. Smoke exposure could trigger acute asphyxiation.

Wyatt flipped to the last page, his voice low.

“Chloe always said Luna was perfectly healthy and just faked being sick.”

Ethan said nothing.

So many times, I’d coughed so hard I couldn’t stand up straight.

He’d toss my inhaler on the table, his voice impatient.

“Chloe just asked you to go with her to a checkup. Do you really need to exaggerate your symptoms for attention?”

And Chloe would chime in with red-rimmed eyes.

“Is Luna feigning illness just because she resents me?”

And his concern would always curdle into irritation.

Now all those reports lay neatly in front of him.

Every page served as a brutal wake-up call.

In the drawer was also a ledger.

Every expense I’d covered for Chloe over the years.

Formal gown: $36,000.

Cosmetic procedures: $21,000.

Car insurance: $8,000.

Shortfall in the charity fund: $50,000.

Beneath each line item, I jotted down the exact same note: [Ethan said she has no one. So I let it go.]

[Ethan said she’s alone. So I let it go.]

[Ethan said not to fight her over it. So I let it go.]

The last page had only three words.

[Let it go.]

I’d pressed the pen so hard it gouged through the sheet.

It wasn’t forgiveness.

It was me finally giving up the fight.

Wyatt found a metal box in the corner.

Charred on the outside, but not burned through.

Inside were copies of documents.

Bank records showing Chloe had fraudulently claimed fire victim relief funds.

Transfer records where she’d used Ethan’s name as a guarantor.

Wyatt’s face changed.

“So Luna headed to the abandoned mall to retrieve evidence of Chloe’s fraud?”

Ethan’s head snapped up.

I hadn’t gone there to make a scene.

Hadn’t gone to fight over him.

I’d arranged a meeting with a contact holding all of Chloe’s fraudulent financial paperwork.

I was going to take the evidence and leave him for good.

At the bottom of the box was a note card.

Addressed to Ethan.

[If you still choose Chloe over me this year, I’m done waiting.

I’ve already signed the engagement termination papers.

I’ll return the ring to you.]

Ethan stared at the card. Then he let out a hollow laugh—quiet and bitter.

“She wasn’t wearing that ring because she was waiting for me.”

He braced himself against the workbench, sending small jewelry parts rattling off the table.

“She was going to give it back.”

Wyatt’s phone rang right then.

After hanging up, he turned to Ethan.

“That little boy we pulled from the vent shaft has woken up. He stated Chloe was the one who bolted the door shut from the outside.”

A pause. Then Wyatt added, “The fire investigation unit says there were multiple points of origin. This fire might not have been an accident.”