Please. She’s pregnant. Just tell me who bought the house. We can work something out.
Eric peered over my shoulder. “Still getting messages from your ex?”
“Not for long.” I blocked the number, then opened my email to approve the final renovation changes.
“You know,” Eric said carefully, “there’s still time to stop this. Sell the house, take the profit, start fresh somewhere else.”
I walked to the bay window, the last original feature left. Tomorrow it would be replaced with floor-to-ceiling modern glass.
“They took everything from me,” I said quietly. “My future. My family. My trust. Now I’m taking something back.”
“And after? When the house is done and they’re broken? What then?”
Before I could answer, headlights swept across the window. A familiar car pulled into the driveway.
“Is that…” Eric moved beside me.
Sophie stepped out of her car, staring up at the house. My house. Tears streamed down her face.
“Showtime,” I whispered, heading for the door.
“What are you doing here?” I called from the porch, making Sophie jump.
“Ivy?” She squinted through the darkness. “What are you… why are you in our house?”
“Your house?” I stepped into the light. “That’s interesting. Show me the deed.”
Sophie’s hand went protectively to her stomach, her default move lately.
“The sellers never accepted your offer,” I said. “Because they had already sold it to someone else.”
Understanding dawned slowly across her face. “No. You didn’t.”
I pulled out my keys, dangling them in the moonlight. “Want a tour?”
She followed me inside, gasping at each renovation. The exposed brick she had loved was now covered in sleek white paint. The vintage staircase had been replaced with modern floating steps.
“You’re ruining it,” she whispered.
“I’m making it mine.”
Eric hung back, watching us circle each other like tired strangers. Sophie’s eyes were red-rimmed. Her designer dress was wrinkled.
“Why?” Her voice cracked. “To hurt me?”
“Why did you sleep with my fiancé?” I asked quietly. “To hurt me?”
“I loved him. I still love him, even after…” She choked back a sob.
“Did you get him fired too?”
“Jaime got himself fired, just like he got himself into gambling debt.”
“He was trying to buy this house for us.” She gestured at the gutted rooms. “For our family.”
“Your family?” I laughed. “You mean the family you built on the ruins of mine.”
Sophie sank onto a dusty contractor’s stool. “I never meant to fall in love with him.”
“But you did. And instead of walking away, you took everything.” I moved closer. “My fiancé. My future. Our parents’ support. You took it all with a smile, then expected me to celebrate your happiness.”
“Mom and Dad still love you.”
“They tolerate me. They love the pregnant daughter, the fragile one, the one who always needs protecting.”
Eric cleared his throat. “Ivy…”
“No.” I turned back to Sophie. “You want to know the best part? Jaime was planning to sell this house behind your back to pay his debts.”
She shook her head. “You’re lying.”
“Check his phone. Check the messages. Ask him about the company money he stole.”
Sophie’s face crumpled. “Stop it.”
“The perfect life you took from me is falling apart. And I get to watch.”
“I’m your sister.”
“You stopped being my sister the moment you chose him over me.”
A loud crash from upstairs made us all jump. The contractor appeared at the top of the stairs.