Only shock.
“You packed my things?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
“In storage.
Paid through the end of the month.”
Melanie let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “You are insane.”
I turned to her. “You were never moving in here.”
That silenced her.
Gloria stepped forward, chin lifted, anger radiating off her.
“Young lady, you do not throw your husband out over one disagreement.”
I almost smiled.
One disagreement.
As if this had started yesterday. As if it was about a guest room and not years of erosion.
“No,” I said. “I’m ending a marriage because your son made it clear he sees me as labor, not a partner.”
Derek recovered enough to turn angry.
That was always his second reaction after surprise.
“You blindsided me,” he said.
I laughed once, quietly. “That’s rich.”
“No.”
“I live here.”
“No,” I said again, even calmer. “You stayed here.
