Permissions.
Everything.
By the end of the day, Daniel no longer existed in that house.
Three days later, the property was already in escrow.
Luxury homes like that didn’t sit idle.
They didn’t wait.
They moved.
Forty million dollars.
I signed the paperwork without blinking.
While, somewhere far away, Daniel and Chloe were still living their perfect little story.
Beaches.
Sunsets.
Cocktails.
Photos posted with captions about love and new beginnings.
Her hand resting on her stomach.
Everything glowing.
Everything false.
Because they didn’t know yet.
Not until they came back.
The morning they returned, I was in my office.
Waiting.
At 10:43 a.m., my phone buzzed.
Daniel.
I looked at the screen for a moment… then answered.
“Olivia, what the hell is going on?” His voice was tight, uneven.
“Good morning, Daniel.”
“I can’t get into the house!”
“Of course you can’t.”
Silence.
Then, sharper, “What did you do?”
“I fixed things.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing.”
Another pause.
“I’m here with Chloe,” he added. “She’s pregnant, Olivia. You can’t just—”
I turned my chair slightly, looking out over the city.
“You already did,” I said.
Silence.
“We need to talk.”
“No.”
“Olivia—”
“No.”
And I hung up.
Thirty minutes later, he was in my office.
Not alone.
Chloe stood beside him.
She looked different.
Less confident.
More uncertain.
The receptionist’s voice came through the intercom. “They’re here. Should I send them in?”
“Yes.”
I wanted this.
I needed this.
They walked in together.
Daniel looked exhausted. Chloe avoided my eyes.
I remained seated.
Calm.
Composed.
Untouchable.
“What did you do?” Daniel asked again.
“I sold the house.”
Silence.
Chloe’s head snapped up. “What?”
“Forty million,” I added. “It sold quickly.”
Daniel stepped forward. “That’s my house.”
I met his eyes.
For the first time… without anything soft left in me.
“No,” I said. “It never was.”
He pulled out his phone. “I’m calling my lawyer. This is illegal.”
I gave a small shrug. “You should do that.”
Chloe spoke then, her voice quieter.
“Olivia… we didn’t want you to find out like this…”
“But I did.”
She swallowed.
“I’m pregnant,” she said, almost defensively.
“I know.”
Silence.
“Congratulations.”
There was no edge in my voice.
No bitterness.
And somehow… that made it worse.
Daniel lowered his voice. “We can fix this.”
“No.”
“I’ll make it right.”
I let out a small laugh.
“With what?”
He didn’t answer.
“Everything you have,” I said, “came from me.”
His shoulders dropped.
Chloe looked at him, confusion turning into something sharper.
“Daniel… is that true?”
He said nothing.
