Chapter 13 - The Aftermath of the Eviction
Derek snatched the ownership documents from Naomi’s hand. His eyes darted frantically down the page, scanning the legal jargon. He read it once. He read it twice. The color rapidly drained from his face as he realized that the holding company listed as the sole proprietor was directly controlled by my grandmother’s trust.
Vivian, unable to comprehend that her son was not the master of the universe, stepped up and snatched the papers from his hands.
"This is impossible!" Vivian shrieked, waving the papers at the police officers. "This is a forged document! My son built this house! Arrest this woman!"
"Ma'am, step back," one of the officers warned, resting his hand on his utility belt. "The documents are certified by a judge. If your son attempts to cross the threshold of this door, he will be arrested for violating a protective order."
I pressed the button on the armrest, rolling down the tinted window of Elias’s SUV. The cold air rushed in.
"No, Vivian," I called out from across the street. My voice was calm, cutting through her hysterics like a knife. "It was simply never yours."
Derek whipped his head around. He saw me sitting comfortably in the back of the warm vehicle, flanked by Elias. The look on his face shifted rapidly from arrogant outrage to profound, paralyzing shock.
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For the very first time in our entire relationship, the illusion shattered. He looked at my calm expression, the lawyer standing on his porch, and the police guarding my door. In that split second, he finally understood that while he thought I had been quietly, submissively losing for the past year, I had actually been quietly, methodically collecting.
And now, it was time to collect the debt.
