One Man Band System

Once they finished mapping out their steps, Eric, Chloe, Bryan, and Katie walked out of the police station. They were escorted by Norman, along with Kyle and Briana, who were staying behind to finish wrapping up their paperwork with Norman. As they stepped outside and headed toward their cars, Bryan turned back to look at Eric and Chloe, who were walking just behind him and Katie.

"Alright, I’m going to drop Ms. Katie off at her office and head back to mine. Where are you two off to?" Bryan asked.

"Heading home... just let us know when the plan goes through," Chloe answered casually.

"Will do, without a doubt," Bryan replied.

"The moment I get to the office, I’ll speak with Mr. Richard directly to go over everything. After that, we’ll drop all these bombshells right on their heads at the perfect moment," Katie said with a smile.

"Okay... thank you, Ms. Katie," Chloe said with a faint smile.

Eric kept a close eye on Chloe as she walked beside him. He glanced down at her hand, and even though it wasn’t obvious, he noticed that her fist was clenched and trembling slightly. He immediately reached out, took her hand, and squeezed it. Chloe turned to look at him without saying a word, and Eric simply nodded back in reassurance.

When they reached the parking lot, the driver opened the door for Bryan and Katie, and they climbed into the back of his Maybach. Before pulling away, Bryan rolled down his window and looked at Eric, who was still holding Chloe’s hand.

"Alright, I’m heading out. Take good care of Chloe, Eric," Bryan said with a smile.

"Will do, Mr. Bryan. Don’t you worry," Eric replied.

"Bye Eric, Chloe! I’ll keep you guys posted as soon as possible," Katie added, waving her hand.

"Yeah, thank you," Eric replied.

The window rolled up and the car drove off, leaving Eric and Chloe standing next to Eric’s own Maybach. Once Bryan’s car vanished around the corner, Eric turned to look at Chloe, taking in her cold, expressionless face.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked, knowing that deep down, she was feeling everything.

At his question, a single tear escaped Chloe’s eye and rolled down her cheek. Eric wiped it away, then pulled her into a tight embrace. Immediately, Chloe wrapped her arms around Eric, clinging to him so tightly it felt like she wanted to melt right into him. She buried her face into his chest.

"Let it all out, don’t hold it in," Eric whispered, gently stroking the back of her head.

Silent tears flooded out as Chloe finally broke down against Eric’s chest. She sobbed so hard that Eric could feel his hoodie growing damp from her tears. He just stayed quiet, rubbing the back of her head and holding her waist, saying absolutely nothing, making it completely clear that he was right there for her.

The two of them stood there in silence for a while, holding each other tightly. Once Chloe felt a bit of relief and loosened her grip, Eric looked down at her face. He smiled gently, using both hands to wipe away the tears from her bloodshot eyes.

"Sorry, Eric," Chloe said, offering a small smile.

"Don’t worry about it. Justice is coming for those two uncles of yours," Eric replied.

"Yeah... I know. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to just let it all out. Thank you, Eric," Chloe said.

"Anytime... no need to thank me. Come on, let’s head home," Eric suggested.

"Yeah... but do you mind if we stay like this just a little longer?" Chloe asked.

Eric could still feel her body trembling slightly. He pulled her back into his arms, resting her head against his chest.

"Of course... take all the time you need," Eric said.

With her head resting against him, Chloe looked off to the side, smiled, and closed her eyes. But suddenly, Eric whipped his head around, feeling like someone was watching them.

When he looked, he saw nothing but the fence lining the edge of the street and the other cars parked next to his. There was absolutely no one else in the parking lot. Sensing Eric’s unease, Chloe finally stepped back from the hug.

"What’s wrong?" Chloe asked.

"I don’t know... I felt like someone was watching us... maybe it’s just my imagination. Are you ready to head back?" Eric asked, looking at her.

"Yeah... let’s go home," Chloe answered with a smile, looking mostly recovered, though a trace of sadness still lingered in her eyes.

The two of them got into Eric’s Maybach, and he started the car, driving it out of the police station parking lot. After Eric’s car vanished from sight, the window of the third car parked next to his rolled down. It was Melissa. She looked down at her smartphone, which was loaded with photos of Eric and Chloe sharing a tight embrace.

Melissa flashed a sly grin. She opened her messages and tapped on Mason’s name, but right as she was about to type something and hit share, her finger hovered over the screen. She seemed to pause, thinking and calculating the odds in her head, before another devious smile spread across her face.

"Why should I report this to that rotten, ancient old man anyway? I need to protect Eric, so I’ll just let this slide. Instead of giving these photos to that old geezer, I might as well use them to mess with those two pieces of trash who backstabbed me and Eric, hehehe," Melissa thought in her head.

She closed her messaging app and opened her social media instead. She shared all the photos, eagerly typing out a post with a wicked look in her eyes and a devious smile on her face.

***

Meanwhile, at a hospital in the city where Eric used to live, Jason, still dressed in his office clothes, walked out the doors alongside Vivian, who was wearing just a hoodie and jeans. The two walked far apart from each other toward their cars, keeping their eyes fixed ahead like bitter enemies. It looked like they had just come from an OB-GYN appointment at the hospital.

Suddenly, "ding," a notification popped up on both of their smartphones at the exact same time. They both stopped in their tracks and pulled their phones out of their pockets. Seeing an Instagram notification, they both opened it and were instantly stunned.

The post featured a collection of photos: Eric tightly embracing Chloe while stroking her hair, Eric wiping away her tears, Chloe resting her head against his chest in his arms, and several others, totaling nine pictures.

The account belonged to Melissa, and she had intentionally tagged both Jason and Vivian, setting the post so only the two of them could see it. She had also written a caption:

"Take a good look, you two. The guy you both betrayed and threw away like trash is incredibly happy now that he’s free of you. Look with your eyes, not your asses. Examine these pictures carefully and don’t you dare regret it. And if you do, go ahead and regret your own miserable lives for backstabbing someone else. Drop dead, both of you."

Jason instantly grew furious. His jaw clenched, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his hand shook as he held his phone. He turned around to face Vivian, but she was gone. He looked back and spotted her walking right back toward the hospital. Jason rushed after her and grabbed her arm.

"What do you think you’re doing going back inside?" Jason shouted.

But Vivian violently wrenched her arm free, spun around, and slapped Jason hard across the face, sending his head snapping to the side. Jason held his cheek and stared at her, his face a mask of disbelief that she had actually struck him.

Tears were streaming down Vivian’s face, and her expression was so dark she looked ready to kill the man standing in front of her.

"What else do you want from me? If you hadn’t come sniffing around and seducing me in the first place... there’s no way I would have ended up with you! I’m going back inside to abort this baby... leave me alone!" Vivian screamed at the top of her lungs, causing everyone around them to stop and stare.

"W-what? What did you just say? Even if you get an abortion, you think Eric is going to take you back? Don’t forget, you’re the one who kicked him out of the house, so stop acting so holy!" Jason fired back.

"At least I know I messed up, unlike you, who thinks the whole world owes you something! You’ve always been jealous of Eric, haven’t you? Anything he ever owned or achieved, you always had to steal it!" Vivian screamed.

"Slap," Jason immediately slapped Vivian, sending her crashing to the ground, and then kicked her straight in the stomach. Several security guards instantly rushed over and tackled Jason, who was completely seeing red and looked ready to murder Vivian.

Meanwhile, Vivian just wept, trying to stand up with the help of a few nurses who happened to be nearby and had just arrived. Suddenly, a sharp, excruciating pain shot through her stomach. She looked down and gasped, horrified to see blood soaking through her jeans. With bloodshot eyes, she slowly looked up at Jason and smiled.

"Perfect. You just killed your own child... perfect," Vivian said, laughing with bitter satisfaction as she watched the regret wash over Jason’s face, realizing he had just lost control of his temper.

The nurses immediately laid her down on a gurney they had rushed out from inside the hospital. She kept up her bitter laughter, even as the excruciating pain pushed her to the brink of passing out. Meanwhile, Jason could only stand there and watch, pinned down by the security guards, grinding his teeth with bloodshot eyes full of tears.

"Damn you, Eric... you’re a goddamn curse. I’ll make you pay for this," he thought in his head, completely blinded by emotion and unable to think straight, while a massive wave of grief washed over his heart as everything he currently owned began to slip away from his life, one piece at a time.