Todos los capítulos de The Christmas I Left: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

The storm hit when I least expected it.It was Monday morning, right in the middle of our weekly team meeting.My phone started buzzing like crazy—it was my mom.She never calls me at work unless someone is dying.My heart dropped. I excused myself and stepped out into the hall."Mom? What's going on?"She sounded like she was crying and trying not to scream at the same time."Evelyn... Eric and his family... they're here! They're at the house!"My blood went cold."What are they doing?" I asked, my voice flat and icy."They're... they're making a scene in the front yard!" Her voice was trembling. "They've got signs! Signs saying you're a thief and a cheater! The whole neighborhood is out there watching! Your father... Evelyn, your father looks like he's about to have a heart attack!"Protest signs.Affair rumors.Cleaning out accounts.Each word was like a knife to my gut.I could see it perfectly.Eric's family acting like white trash, putting on a circus in the quiet neighborhood wh

Eric's POVBack in Evelyn's hometown, in the quiet suburban neighborhood.Eric and his family had been out there with their picket signs for the better part of the morning.At first, a crowd of nosy neighbors gathered, having no clue what was actually going on.Candace was sprawled on the sidewalk, slapping the concrete and howling like she was at a funeral."It's a damn tragedy! What did we do to deserve such a cold-hearted bitch!""She tricked us into going to Aspen just so she could sell the house behind our backs! Half a million dollars! She pocketed every single cent!"Brittany was right there backing her up, spinning wild stories and embellishing every little "crime" Evelyn had supposedly committed.Eric just stood there with a grim look on his face, playing the part of the poor, betrayed husband to a tee.But it didn't take long for their little performance to fall apart.Every neighborhood has its veterans, and a few of them were tight with Evelyn's parents. Mr. Henderson was o

I met up with Rachel the next morning.She looked even more hyped than I was, her eyes practically glowing with malice.She dropped a heavy manila envelope onto the coffee table."It's all here. The full tea."I opened it up. It was a thick stack of high-quality dossiers.Everything was in crisp, clear color.Page one: a selfie of the girl.Long hair, white sundress... She really did look like a carbon copy of me from ten years ago.She had that sickeningly sweet smile.Below the photo was her bio: name, age, college, and major.Starting on page two were pages of bank statements.Two full years of thousand-dollar transfers from Eric's secondary card to her account.The memo line on every single one: "Living Expenses."Then came movie stubs, dinner receipts, and even reservation confirmations for a weekend at a spa resort.The paper trail was ironclad. Total slam dunk.I flipped through the pages slowly.My face was a mask.But inside, my skin was crawling.I wasn't jealous. I wasn't ev

Three days later, my phone buzzed with an unknown number.I knew it was him immediately.I didn't even hesitate.I picked up."I'm outside your new place," he said, his voice sounding like he'd been swallowing broken glass. "I heard about the new job. The new condo. God, you're good, Evelyn."The rage was gone. He sounded completely empty."Let's talk," he whispered. "One last time. Please."I thought about it for a beat. "Fine. Come up."Rachel told me I was crazy to meet him alone.But I knew he was done. He didn't have a fight left in him.He was a snake with no fangs.I needed this last showdown.I needed to put a period at the end of this sentence once and for all.A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.I opened it.I almost didn't recognize the man standing in the hall.He'd lost at least twenty pounds. His eyes were sunken into his skull, and his face was covered in a messy beard.That expensive coat of his hung off his frame like a wrinkled, ill-fitting costume.He stepped ins

Time flies.Before I knew it, summer had hit.The condo was finished. After three months of airing it out, I finally moved in.Every single rug, lamp, and chair was hand-picked by me.The gardenias on the balcony were blooming, and the whole place smelled like a dream.I started a new job.Marketing Manager at a top-tier multinational. The paycheck was a massive upgrade.The team was great, and the office vibe was actually healthy.I'd cut out the old crowd completely. No more drama, no more gossip.Weekends weren't for cleaning and cooking for six people anymore.It was brunch with Rachel, solo trips to the Met, concerts, or just crushing it at the gym.I even signed up for French classes.Twice a week, starting from a very shaky "Bonjour."I'd gotten leaner, and my skin was actually glowing.Guys were starting to notice, too.A couple of clients, a trainer from the gym—everyone was hitting my DMs.I turned them all down. Politely, of course.I just wasn't ready to share my space yet.