Chapter 2 - The Eviction
Margaret gasped, a high-pitched, wheezing sound, as a glob of soap suds slid down her cheek. Vanessa shrieked, dropping her phone on the floor, while Daniel froze, his jaw practically unhinged.
"Are you insane?!" Vanessa screamed, rushing forward with a decorative towel to dab at her mother's ruined silk robe. "You psychotic bitch, what is wrong with you?"
"Claire!" Daniel bellowed, finally finding his voice. His face turned a dangerous shade of crimson. "Have you lost your damn mind? Apologize to her right now!"
I carefully placed the empty porcelain basin on the coffee table. The soft clink echoed through the room like a gunshot.
"I have thirty minutes before I call the police," I said, my voice echoing off the walls, perfectly steady. "That is exactly how long the three of you have to pack your bags and get out of my house."
Margaret sputtered, wiping soapy water from her eyes. "Your house? You insolent little brat, this is my son's house! He pays the bills!"
"Does he?" I tilted my head, looking at Daniel. He suddenly looked very small. "Tell them, Daniel. Tell them whose name is on the deed. Tell them who paid off the mortgage three years before we even met."
Daniel swallowed hard. "Claire, baby, let's just calm down. We can talk about this. Mom was just trying to share a family tradition—"
"A family tradition?" I laughed, a sharp, humorless sound. "Is forging my signature on a five-hundred-thousand-dollar Home Equity Line of Credit also a family tradition, Daniel?"
The color drained from his face instantly. He looked like a man who had just stepped off a cliff and was waiting for gravity to notice.
Vanessa paused, the towel hovering in mid-air. "What are you talking about?"
"Ask your brother," I said, stepping toward the front door and pulling it wide open. The crisp evening air rushed in. "Ask him why my bank just notified me that a HELOC application was updated with my 'verified' signature. A signature I never gave. A loan on a house he doesn't own."
Margaret looked at Daniel, her eyes wide. "Danny, what is she saying?"
"Get out," I commanded, raising my voice so it cut through the room like a blade. "All of you. Now. You have twenty-eight minutes before I report an active trespassing and a massive case of financial fraud."
They scrambled. The sheer terror in Daniel's eyes confirmed everything. He rushed upstairs, followed by Vanessa and a dripping Margaret. I stood by the door, watching the clock. Exactly twenty-two minutes later, they dragged their suitcases down the stairs.
Daniel stopped in front of me, his eyes pleading. "Claire, please. Where are we supposed to go?"
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"I hear the local motel has a vacancy," I said, stepping aside. "Leave your keys on the console."
He stared at me, realizing for the first time in six years that the woman he married was not a doormat. Trembling, he dropped his key ring onto the table. They walked out into the night, the heavy oak door slamming shut behind them, leaving me alone in my quiet, safe house.
