Lorraine stood in the living room with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed and expectant.
“Oh, so you finally had the nerve to show your face after humiliating us online.”
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Beds and headboards
Beds
Family
Jake appeared behind her, his jaw clenched.
“Did you enjoy it? Playing the victim in that place?”
I straightened my shoulders slowly.
“I didn’t choose that place, Jake. You did.”
He sneered, and for once, he sounded exactly like his mother.
What did you expect? A five-star resort? Do you know how much that motel cost?
“Do you know how little it offered?”
He threw his hands up in the air.
“Why do you always have to be so dramatic?”
“Dramatic?” I repeated. You kicked me out of my house because she… —I pointed directly at Lorraine—…threw a tantrum.
Lorraine lifted her chin proudly.
“I gave her this house. I have every right to stay here. I simply stated my conditions.”
I turned to Jake.
“And you went along with it.”
His silence spoke volumes.
“That’s how it works,” Lorraine said matter-of-factly. “I’m her mother. What I say goes.”
I looked directly at my husband.
“Is that true?”
He wouldn’t meet my gaze.
And somehow, that hurt more than anything else.
“I guess that’s my answer.”
Then I reached into my purse.
I pulled out an envelope.
And held it out to him.
Jake looked at it warily.
“What’s that?”
Before I could grab it, Lorraine snatched it from my hand.
She flung it open.
Read the first page.
And she froze.
Her face paled before turning red.
“Divorce?” she snapped. “This is ridiculous! You can’t just walk away.”
Jake slowly gathered the papers after she tossed them aside.
As he read them, he slumped into a chair.
Finally, he looked up at me.
“Are you really doing this?”
I nodded once.
“I realized my place when you not only asked me to leave my house… but expected me to live in some seedy motel while your mother took my place.”
I held his gaze.
“You may think I’m worth no more than that.”
“But I am.”
So I turned around and left.
The door closed behind me.
And from inside the house, I heard absolutely nothing.
No apology.
No footprints.
No one will come after me.
