Chapter 2 - The Empty Garage
The heavy oak doors of the three-car garage slid open with a smooth, expensive hum, revealing the pristine silhouette of Bradley’s pride and joy. Maddie’s heels squelched against the polished concrete floor, her golden dress leaving a shimmering trail of chlorinated water behind her. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a violent reminder that her old life had officially fractured into irreparable pieces.
She pressed the unlock button on the fob. The sports car blinked in response, its headlights slicing through the dim interior like twin blades. Bradley’s voice echoed from the far end of the driveway, muffled by distance but sharp with panic.
"Maddie, stop being irrational! We can talk about this inside!"
Maddie ignored him, yanking the driver's side door open and sliding into the leather seat. The smell of new car scent and expensive cologne made her stomach churn. This was the car Bradley had bought with the venture capital funding they had secured together—funding she had secretly co-signed using her family's land as collateral. He had laughed off her concerns about debt just an hour ago, treating her like an overly anxious accessory to his grand social performance.
She inserted the fob, pressed the ignition, and the V8 engine roared to life with a deep, guttural growl that rattled the garage walls.
In the rearview mirror, Bradley appeared, sprinting frantically down the stone pathway, his white shirt glowing ghostly in the dark. He slammed his palms against the driver's side window, his face distorted by sheer terror.
"Maddie, open the door! You don't know what you're doing! Those papers in the glove box—you can't take them!"
Maddie turned her head slowly, looking at him through the glass with chilling detachment. She rolled the window down just an inch, enough for her voice to cut through the idle hum of the motor.
"What papers, Bradley? The ones where you signed over the house to your business partner?"
May you like
Bradley froze, his hands sliding down the glass. His eyes widened into dark pits of realization as he understood the depth of what she had discovered.
---
