Chapter 6 - The Sister's Betrayal
While Eleanor prepared our legal defense, the cracks within the enemy alliance began to show. Clara called me from an unblocked burner phone number on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. I answered, thinking it was the base pharmacy.
"Chloe? Don't hang up, please," Clara sobbed into the receiver. She sounded frantic, completely devoid of the smug confidence she had displayed on social media.
"You have one minute, Clara," I said, setting the phone on speaker while I folded Ava’s laundry.
"Mom is out of her mind," Clara whispered loudly. "She’s spending all her savings on this lawyer. She told me that if we win the visitation case, we can force you into a financial settlement to drop it so we can pay off my debt. But Chloe, the bank is repossessing my car next week. I didn't know she was going to accuse you of being crazy in the court papers! I told her to just ask for the phone money!"
"You stood by and let her write those affidavits, Clara," I said coldly. "You posted on Facebook that I was a heartless monster while I was recovering from childbirth."
"Because Mom said she’d stop paying my rent if I didn't!" Clara wailed. "Please, Chloe. Just loan me $3,000 to clear the car lien, and I'll tell the lawyer Mom lied about everything. I’ll sign whatever you want!"
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The sheer mercenary nature of my own sister made me sick to my stomach. She was willing to sell out our mother just as easily as she had sold out me, all for the price of a car payment.
"The time for negotiations is over, Clara," I said, my voice steady. "Tell it to the judge." I hung up and immediately forwarded the call recording to Eleanor. Clara had just handed us our winning weapon.
