Not fear for me.
Fear about what would happen to her.
And somehow, that made my decision easier.
At the hospital, the X-ray confirmed the fracture.
The doctor told me I’d need a cast and several weeks of limited movement.
I stared at the ceiling.
Several weeks.
Normally, that news would have terrified me.
But another thought was already taking shape.
My house would be empty when I returned.
For the first time in months, I would walk through my front door and not wonder who had eaten the groceries.
Not wonder whether the electricity bill had doubled again.
Not wonder whether someone had scratched the floors.
Not wonder if I was allowed to sit on my own couch.
I would be alone.
And strangely, the thought felt peaceful.
Marcus stayed with me until nearly midnight.
He brought me coffee and a charger.
Before leaving, he said, “You did the right thing.”
I stared at him.
“I don’t know.”
He smiled.
“You will.”
When I got home the next afternoon, the house was silent.
Too silent.
Melissa, Dario, and Nico had left.
There was a note on the kitchen table.
I picked it up.
Stephen,
I hope you’re happy.
You got what you wanted.
Family shouldn’t treat each other this way.
Melissa.
I read it twice.
Then I turned it over.
Nothing else.
No apology.
No concern about my injury.
No “How are you feeling?”
Just blame.
I folded the note and put it in the trash.
Then I noticed something.
The house wasn’t just messy.
It had been damaged.
There were scratches on the guest-room door.
A broken cabinet hinge.
Food stains on the carpet.
A crack in one of the dining chairs.
And then I saw my bedroom door.
The lock was damaged.
I stood there staring at it.
I had never locked my bedroom door while they lived with me.
I had trusted them.
I opened it.
My stomach dropped.
My desk drawers were open.
Documents were scattered across the floor.
My financial files had been disturbed.
I limped closer.
The folder containing my mortgage documents was missing.
So was the folder where I kept copies of my property insurance, bank statements, and tax records.
I froze.
They hadn’t just treated my house like a hotel.
