Chapter 5 - The Final Blueprint
Adeline arrived at the estate on a rainy Tuesday. She didn't need a key; she still owned the deed.
Chase was sitting on the floor in the living room, a bottle of scotch in his hand. He looked older, broken, the mask of the billionaire finally stripped away to reveal the frightened boy who had poured concrete on the South Side.
“You’re here for the house,” he whispered, not looking up.
“I’m here for the truth,” Adeline said.
She walked over and laid a file on the floor. It was the original design for the house—the design she had kept secret for years.
“You think you built this,” she said. “But you never understood the soul of the work. You treated everything as a commodity. A house, a baby, a wife. You thought if you just bought the right materials, the facade would hold.”
“I loved you,” he said, a pathetic plea.
“You loved the way I made you feel,” she said. “You didn't love the person I was. You loved the person you wanted me to be.”
She turned to walk away.
May you like
“What happens now?” he asked.
“Now,” Adeline said, “you find out what it’s like to be truly broke.”
