All Chapters of The Year I Stopped Paying for Their Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Snow drifted past the window in fine flurries.My father, Richard Carter, stood in his cashmere coat, checking if any bags had been left behind."Swiss winters are brutal on the skin—don't forget the moisturizer I just bought."My mother Diana was directing my sister Emma."Got it."Emma stuffed the skincare into her suitcase."What about Jack? Still messing with the skis?""All set."Jack walked out carrying two ski bags. He took a sip of coffee from the mug on the table and said to my father, "Mr. Carter, the car'll be here in fifteen."My father nodded, then his gaze landed on me."Chloe, I've already talked to security—no visitors will bother you over the holidays. Year-end is the busiest time for Legal. Staying to work will look good for your future promotion. Besides, the whole family going to Switzerland isn't cheap. You staying saves us some money."He said it like he was handing down a memo at the office. Leaving his eldest daughter out of a family trip, delivered in that same

Three days later, I rented a short-term apartment downtown.Sophia came over to help me pack.Six years of living, boiled down to three suitcases.Two of them were case files and law books from Legal. My actual personal belongings—clothes, stuff that was actually mine—didn't even fill a carry-on."You lived here six years and it looks like you were ready to check out the whole time."Sophia zipped up the last bag and scanned the two-thousand-square-foot penthouse."It was never really my home."I dropped the spare keys into the handover box.Two years ago, my father's investment went south. He quietly mortgaged the Long Island house to the bank.Then the whole family moved into my apartment like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Better for Emma's art classes—city's more inspiring." That was the excuse.I still remembered my mother, holding a roasted turkey, telling me:"Chloe, this executive apartment is huge. It's such a waste for you to live here alone. Emma needs inspirat

The next morning, the snow stopped.Winter sunlight cut through the clouds, spilling over Manhattan's streets. The air was crisp and clean.I found a café, ordered a latte, and took a seat by the window.Pulled out my tablet, cleared out some random emails, skimmed through a few downtown listings Sophia had sent me. My mood was eerily calm."You sure you don't want to swing by and watch?"Sophia texted."I can get Paul in Security to pull a live feed—full HD show.""No need."I typed back."Watching them lose it isn't the point. The point is making sure they know the rules have changed.""You're terrifyingly composed. I love it."Sophia sent a toast emoji."Paul from Security just confirmed—master system access is fully locked. Other than Paul himself, not even a fly's getting into that apartment.""Tell Paul I owe him one."I locked the screen and let my eyes drift to the street outside.Noon. Their flight should've touched down by now.---Richard's POVSame time, Kennedy Airport.Th

Jack's POVDecember wind in Manhattan cut like a blade.Richard tightened his coat, standing on the street corner outside the apartment building.Hours ago, he'd been in the Alps, basking in his family's adoration.Now here he was—shut out of his own home, shivering on the sidewalk with his wife, younger daughter, and future son-in-law.Strangers threw glances their way. Every stare burned."Richard! Do something!"Diana's lips were turning blue, her perfectly styled hair whipping wild in the wind."It's freezing out here—are we supposed to sleep on the street with all this luggage?""Shut up!"Richard barked."If you hadn't been nagging about some welcome-home lunch the whole way, we wouldn't be standing here with no backup plan!""How is this my fault?"Diana shrieked."Chloe is your daughter! You're the one who kept saying she was under your thumb! Now she's given up the apartment and blocked all our calls—how is that on me?"Emma huddled in her puffer jacket, shivering, mascara str

Richard's POVThe motel room was cramped and dim, stale air thick with mildew and the greasy smell of fast food.Several expensive designer suitcases lay piled messily in the corner, their edges smeared with black grime from the cab trunks the night before.Diana huddled on a backless folding chair, her hair a mess, slathering face cream on in front of a tiny compact mirror. Her mouth never stopped running:"Richard, this place doesn't even have a proper coffee maker. The tap water smells like sewage! My stomach's going to give out—when are we getting out of this dump?""Shut up! You haven't stopped since last night!"Richard sagged into the broken-down mattress, his cashmere coat wrinkled, eyes sunken and bloodshot. He rubbed his throbbing temples.He'd barely slept the whole night.He'd been so sure that by morning, Chloe would cave like always—send a groveling apology, maybe even forward the new apartment access code to his phone.Instead, his screen was full of nothing but bank ale