Life changes ( sequel to love never dies )

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I'm standing in front of the ashes of the diner Chloe used to work for a while now. I see workers remove the remains, like the street sign and some parts of the walls that are still standing. Everything needs to be removed so the municipality can build a new diner. I don't think this is a good location because it's Brooklyn. Not many tourists come to this part of New York.

The conversation between Emily and I is stuck in my head. Emily blaming that Wyatt is trying to hurt Chloe in the most possible way. I just can't imagine him doing that. But lately he has changed and I don't know why. I will ask him about it later today.

I walk closer to the ashes and look at the workers. They're working so hard without a break. I wonder how the new diner will look like.

,,Are you looking for someone?" One of the workers ask me.

,,Not really. I was just curious about the diner and what happened to it."

,,Well, some say it was lit on purpose and others say it was an accident."

,,You mean the fire?" He nods. ,,And what do you think?"

,,I came here a lot, so it's a pity it burned down into ashes. I don't want to believe it was lit on purpose because the owner Mrs. Fuller had everything renewed."

,,Mrs. Fuller?" I look at him by hearing the name. He nods. ,,Do you maybe know where she lives?" He looks at me doubtfully. ,,I'm investigating the fire for the municipality, so I need to know everything that happened here." I lie and he seem to buy it.

,,She lives not far from here." He grabs a piece of paper and writes her address. ,,Here you go and make the new diner just as beautiful." He tells me and then goes back to work. I look to the address and call for a taxi.

Half an hour later, the taxi stops in front of a house. I pay the driver and get out. I step towards the house, observing the property. It's a nice, big house.

I sigh as I feel myself getting nervous. I need to know what Emily meant when she told me to talk to Mrs. Fuller about Chloe. I might have lied about why I needed to see Mrs. Fuller, but I need to know. I just have to think about what I'm going to say to her when she opens the door. I can't just bring up Chloe, can I?

After shaking the nerves from my body, I step forward and knock on the door. My thoughts are with Chloe and any questions I still have for her. Like, why didn't she stop me when I walked away five months ago? Why hasn't she texted or called me? I know I have a new number, but she could've asked Kara about it. She must know I lost my old phone in the ocean when the ship sank, right? My thoughts are interrupted by the door that opens. A dark-skinned woman, no older than her mid-thirties, stands in front of me and looks at me in surprise.

,,Good afternoon, can I help you with something?" She asks me and I just nod.

,,Good afternoon. Sorry to bother you, but I'm investigating the fire. Can I have a few minutes of your time?"

,,Are you from the municipality?"

,,Yes, they've asked me to interview fellow townspeople to find out what happened." It hurts me to lie, but how else can I find out the truth?

,,If the municipality agrees in this way to build a new diner the way I want it, then I can spare some time." Mrs. Fuller steps aside so I can enter. I give her a grateful look as I step inside. ,,Do you want something to drink?" Mrs. Fuller leads me into the living room and gestures for me to sit down, but I politely decline.

,,I'd like a cup of tea, thank you." Mrs. Fuller nods and walks into the kitchen, which gives me the perfect opportunity to look around. The walls are covered with pictures. I see pictures of, I suspect, her children and a wedding photo. The photos make me think back to when I saw Ryan, Chloe and Chicago five months ago. I had so much hope when I came back, hope Chloe was waiting for me, but she got on with her life and I'm not going to ruin a marriage.

,,Here you go." Mrs. Fuller appears back into the living room and hand me the cup. ,,If you're ready, you can start the interview." Mrs. Fuller sits down. I put my cup down for a moment, before turning towards her.

,,Yeah, okay... uhm -" I try to think of questions but there aren't much.

,,Don't be nervous, I promise to be honest."

,,Okay, what I want to know is what was the state of the diner. Did you have appliances that needed maintenance, but you didn't?"

,,All appliances were renewed. I was just about to start working on the new interior, but then everything was on fire." I nod, as I think of more questions.

,,And what about the staff? Were some staff members unhappy?"

,,Are you saying that one of my staff members started this fire?"

,,No, but it could. The council wants me to investigate everything, including your staff."

,,I can't imagine that my staff started this fire. Joey and Marcus are excellent cooks, Julia and Mike are very good kitchen helpers and Chloe and Avery are the best waitresses I could wish for."

,,So none of your staff would do such a thing?"

,,Absolutely not. Joey works with me so he can pay for his studies, Julia works here so she can pay for her daughter's surgery and Chloe needs this job the most as she is a single mother with a friend who is often away for work."

,,Friend? You mean her husband, who works in the army."

,,Husband? Chloe never mentioned a husband." She raises her eyebrows and I write this all down.

,,Are you sure? I saw them together with their son Ryan." Mrs. Fuller looks at me now and cross her arms.

,,Okay, you don't work for the council. You want to know more about Chloe or not?"

,,Yes, I'm sorry but a friend of mine told me to talk to you about Chloe. She told me you know what happened between my brother and Chloe." Mrs. Fuller laughs at my nervousness.

,,Don't be so nervous. But I have to ask... What is Chloe for you? You have to understand that I can't give you any information if you mean nothing to her. I can't do that to her or Ryan."

,,Chloe was my girlfriend."

,,Wait, are you her friend who disappeared into the ocean?"

,,How do you know about that?"

,,Chloe told me."

,,She told you what happened?"

,,She didn't tell me everything, only that she lost you. She never gave me a name, tho." I smile for a moment. ,,But back to your question. Who is your brother?"

,,Wyatt."

,,Oh yes, I know that one."

,,You don't sound very happy about him."

,,That's because I'm not happy with him. He treated Chloe terribly on her shifts. He and his group of friends asked the weirdest things and called her all kinds of names. He blamed her for everything that happened to you. He called her a whore and sometimes even tripped her, causing her to drop all the drinks on her tray on the floor."

,,He did that?" Mrs. Fuller nods. ,,Okay, I need to have a good conversation with him."

,,Good luck with that. Are you seeing Chloe soon?" I shake my head.

,,We haven't seen each other in a while."

,,That's too bad. Then I'll call Chloe myself." Mrs. Fuller stands up and takes the now empty cup I was drinking out. ,,If you'll excuse me. I have an appointment." I nod and let Mrs. Fuller walk me out. ,,It was nice to meet you." She tells me before she closes the door. This information is a lot to take in and I definitely need to talk to Wyatt. I hold a taxi and let it take me back home.