His Lie Count Stayed Zero for Five Years — Till His Assistant Came Chapter 03

Early the next morning, after packing my things, I decided to visit the condo we’d planned to make our home after the wedding one last time.

If Elliot wasn’t going to keep his promise to marry me, that condo would never be my home.

I stopped outside the door, stunned. For a moment, I thought I’d come to the wrong apartment.

A welcome mat reading “HOME SWEET HOME” lay outside the door, with two pairs of shoes neatly lined up beside it.

The men’s pair was a size 9, Elliot’s size.

The women’s pair was a size 5. I wore a 6.

I raised my hand and knocked twice. I couldn’t tell whether the thudding was coming from the door or my own heartbeat.

The door opened, and Renee stood on the other side.

Her face went white the moment she saw me.

“Ms. Parker? What are you doing here?”

The question was almost funny.

This was supposed to be the home Elliot and I would share, yet she stood there like she owned the place, asking what I was doing there.

“This is my home.”

Renee opened and closed her mouth, but nothing came out.

I walked past her.

The last time I’d visited, the condo had been mid-renovation, with unfinished walls and bare floors.

Elliot had promised that once work settled down, we’d finish renovating it into the little home I’d always dreamed of.

I’d believed him. For months, I’d toured home-improvement stores, choosing paint colors and furniture.

The home I’d imagined had finally taken shape.

Only now, it had become someone else’s home.

Renee started typing on her phone. A moment later, Elliot called me.

“Don’t give Ren a hard time. I’m coming over. Don’t touch her.”

His voice was tight with worry.

He was warning me not to hurt Renee—as though I were the intruder.

Elliot arrived quickly. Watching him rush in, I felt a dull ache in my chest.

The first thing he did was steady Renee and look her up and down.

“Are you okay? Did anything happen?”

Only after checking that she was unharmed did he turn to me with a frown.

“What are you doing here?”

The same question Renee had asked.

Apparently, Elliot didn’t think I belonged here either.

“This is our home. Am I not allowed to come?”

He sighed.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then why is she living here?”

After a pause, he said, “Ren’s landlord kicked her out. She had nowhere to go, so she’s staying here temporarily.”

“She won’t be here long. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

The number above his head jumped again.

Six.

She wasn’t staying temporarily. And she wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

I let out a humorless laugh.

“Elliot, she makes about $3,000 a month working at Hayes Group.”

“Does she really have nowhere else to go, or does she just like taking what’s supposed to belong to someone else?”

Renee’s eyes filled with tears. She stepped in front of him.

“Ms. Parker, I know you don’t like me. I’ll move out. But please don’t make things difficult for Mr. Hayes!”

I wasn’t interested in arguing. I pulled out my phone to call the police, but Elliot stopped me.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the police. She’s trespassing.”

He frowned.

“That won’t do you any good.”

I stared at him, unable to understand what he meant.

Behind us, the elevator doors opened, and the building manager walked over.

“Ms. Foster, Mr. Hayes. Is everything okay?”

Then he looked at me.

“Ma’am, our building records list Ms. Foster and Mr. Hayes as the owners of this condo.”

Renee reached for a folder on the kitchen counter and held out a copy of the recorded deed.

There, next to Elliot Hayes’s name, was Renee Foster’s.

My mind went blank.

I turned to Elliot. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

When I finally managed to speak, my voice came out broken.

“Elliot… you put her name on the deed to our home?”

“Ren’s alone in a big city. It’s not easy for her. I just wanted to help her out and give her something to fall back on.”

I practically shouted myself hoarse.

“And you think it was easy for my mother to scrape together $30,000 for that down payment?”

He said nothing. I kept my eyes fixed on him.

When we were $30,000 short on the down payment for the condo, Mom gave us the savings she’d spent half her life putting aside.

When the sale closed, Elliot had knelt before her, his eyes red, and sworn, “No matter what happens, this will always be Jen’s home.”

Now another woman was living in my home.

And her name—not mine—was on the deed.

The number above Elliot’s head changed again.

Seven.

After a moment, I understood.

A promise you couldn’t keep was a lie, too.

Seeing me go quiet, Elliot sighed.

“Go home for now. You’re too upset, and you’re frightening Ren.”

Two security guards stepped forward behind the building manager.

The building manager gave me a sympathetic look.

“Ma’am, please don’t make this difficult for us.”

Suddenly, I went quiet.

Without another argument, I stepped into the elevator.

Just before the doors closed, I saw Elliot gently brush Renee’s tears away with his thumb.