Chapter 7 - The Eviction
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“You planned this,” Nathan whispered, staring at me with a mixture of hatred and shock. “You set us up tonight.”
“I didn't set you up, Nathan,” I replied, looking him dead in the eye. “I invited you and your family over for dinner to give you one last chance to treat me like a human being. You were the one who brought a basin of water and told me to kneel.”
Margaret rushed forward, grabbing the marshal’s sleeve. “Listen to me! This is a domestic dispute! My son was just upset! You can't throw us out onto the street!”
The marshal firmly removed Margaret’s hand from his arm. “Ma’am, this property belongs to the Vance Trust. You are currently trespassing. If you and your family do not vacate the premises within five minutes, you will all be placed under arrest for criminal trespass and obstruction.”
“Out,” I said simply, pointing back toward the open front door.
Jenna was already moving toward the exit, dragging her purse behind her without looking at her brother. The six other Caldwell relatives quickly filed out behind her, avoiding eye contact, desperate to distance themselves from the wreckage.
Margaret turned to Nathan, her voice shrill. “Do something, Nathan! Tell them who you are!”
“He’s nobody now, Margaret,” I said softly.
Nathan stood frozen near the fireplace, staring at the ash floating in the hearth. He had thought destroying a piece of paper would destroy my power, never realizing that my power had never come from paper in the first place.
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“Five minutes, Mr. Caldwell,” the marshal warned, checking his watch.
Nathan slowly looked up at me, his lips trembling, but the cold composure I had maintained throughout the night cut off any words he had left. He turned around, grabbed his dripping shoe, and walked out of my house in total silence.
