Chapter 2 - The Confrontation at the Door
Philip pulled his SUV into the driveway of the Rochester high-rise at four in the afternoon. He was exhausted, but he felt a sense of smug satisfaction. He had spent three glorious days in Lake Placid with Chloe, enjoying catered meals and living like a king while using Demi’s money to finance the lifestyle. He knew Demi would be upset about his lack of communication on her birthday, but he had a routine for that: a half-hearted apology, a cheap bouquet of supermarket flowers, and a lecture from his mother about how ungrateful Demi was.
As he walked down the carpeted hallway toward apartment 4B, he was surprised to find the door slightly ajar. He pushed it open, expecting the rich scent of a home-cooked birthday dinner.
Instead, he was met with total chaos.
Glenda was screaming at the top of her lungs, pointing her finger at a burly man wearing a tactical vest and carrying a clipboard. Standing beside him was another officer in uniform.
"What is going on here?!" Philip demanded, dropping his overnight bag to the floor. "Mom, why are the police in our home?"
"Philip! Thank God you're home!" Glenda shrieked, rushing to grab his arm. "This crazy woman has lost her mind! She called the police on me! They're saying I assaulted her! And these men are trying to hand me legal papers!"
The process server stepped forward calmly, looking at Philip. "Are you Philip Vance?"
"Yes, I am," Philip said, his chest puffing out with artificial authority. "And you are trespassing in my private residence. I demand that you leave immediately before I call my legal representation."
"You won't need to call them; they're already going to receive copies," the process server said, handing a thick white folder directly into Philip’s hands. "You have been officially served with a petition for dissolution of marriage, an emergency motion for sole occupancy of this residence, and a notice of freeze on all joint financial accounts pending judicial review. Furthermore, this document serves as an emergency eviction notice for the property located at 112 Lakeview Drive, Lake Placid."
Philip’s face turned pale. "What? This is ridiculous! This apartment is in my name! My wife can't evict me from my own home!"
"The apartment title was modified pursuant to the enforced terms of your 2024 Postnuptial Financial Agreement," the process server replied, taking a step back. "You have ninety minutes to vacate these premises with your personal belongings. The primary deed holder, Demi Vance, has secured a temporary restraining order against Glenda Vance following an incident of felony domestic assault reported this morning."
"Felony assault?!" Glenda shrieked. "I threw a skillet because she was being lazy! It didn't even hit her!"
"You said what?!" Philip swung around to look at his mother, his heart plummeting. "Mom, you threw a cast-iron pot at her?"
"She was disrespecting me!" Glenda yelled, defensive. "She was acting like she owned the place!"
"She DOES own the place!" Philip panicked, his hands shaking as he flipped through the court documents. He saw the attached photos—the pictures of him and Chloe on the deck in Lake Placid, the intimate close-ups, the apron. His stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. "How... how did she get these?"
"A woman named Raven delivered them this morning," Glenda said, her voice finally losing its bravado as she saw her son’s expression. "Philip... who is Chloe? Why does she have Demi’s apron?"
Philip squeezed his eyes shut. Raven was Chloe’s next-door neighbor in Lake Placid—a retired judge who had taken a liking to Demi when Demi helped treat her husband during an asthma attack the previous winter. Raven had seen Philip bringing Chloe to the house for months and had finally gathered the evidence herself.
"You idiot, Mom," Philip whispered, sweating profusely. "You threw a pot at her on the day she caught me? Do you have any idea what you've done?"
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The police officer stepped forward, tapping his watch. "Mr. Vance, you and your mother have eighty-five minutes remaining to collect your clothing and personal items. If you are still on the premises at 5:30 PM, you will be arrested for criminal trespass. If Glenda Vance attempts to contact Demi Vance through any medium, she will be taken into custody immediately for violating the protective order."
Philip stood frozen in the middle of the foyer as his mother began to wail. The life of comfort, luxury, and unearned status he had built on Demi's back was collapsing like a house of cards.
