Chapter 5 - KHLÖE’S TRUE FACE
When the Mistress Realizes the Golden Goose is Legally BankruptWith nowhere else to turn, William did the one thing he knew he shouldn't do. He went to Khloe.
He took a city bus—an experience that felt like a descent into purgatory—to the luxury high-rise apartment in the Marina District. The apartment he was paying six thousand dollars a month for. The apartment that was now the source of his corporate embezzlement investigation.
He buzzed the intercom.
"Khloe, it's me. Open up."
There was a long pause before the gate clicked open.
When he reached the penthouse, Khloe was waiting at the door. She wasn't wearing the silk robes she usually wore. She was in designer activewear, surrounded by several Louis Vuitton suitcases.
"William," she said, her voice lacking the breathy, playful tone she used in Cabo. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come to my place."
"I need to stay here for a few days, Khloe," William said, pushing past her into the apartment. "My wife... she found out. She froze everything. The firm suspended me. I don't have access to my accounts."
Khloe didn't move to comfort him. Instead, she crossed her arms, her eyes scanning his wrinkled shirt and the cardboard box in his arms.
"So... what you're saying is, the corporate card you gave me for my lease is going to be declined?"
William blinked. "Yes, probably. But that's temporary! Once my lawyers sort this out—"
"And the rent for this place?" she interrupted. "The landlord called me this morning. He said the automatic payment failed."
"Khloe, my son almost died!" William shouted, his frustration finally boiling over. "My life is falling apart, and you’re worried about the rent?!"
Khloe laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that stripped away any remaining illusion of her innocence.
"William, let’s be real," she said, stepping closer to him. "Did you honestly think I was with you for your brilliant architectural mind? You’re forty-two years old. You spent our entire trip complaining about your wife's stretch marks and how tired you were of hearing a baby cry. You wanted a fantasy, and I charged you for it."
"I loved you," William whispered, realizing how pathetic he sounded.
"No, you loved how I made you feel about yourself," Khloe said, picking up the handle of her suitcase. "And right now, you look like a man who can't even afford my Uber to the airport. I’m leaving for LA. My agent found me a new contract. Don't call me again."
May you like
She walked out of the apartment, the door clicking shut behind her.
William stood alone in the empty, sun-drenched living room. The view of the Golden Gate Bridge stretched out before him, beautiful and cold, mocking the absolute ruin of his life.
