I stared at the wall, imagining Jessica’s perfect kitchen, the candle by the sink, the wreath on the door.
“They had forty-seven days to pay,” I said.
David was quiet. “As your attorney, I must tell you foreclosure is time-consuming.”
“And as a human being,” I said, “I must tell you I’m done being treated like a servant in a house I own.”
“So that’s a no,” he said gently.
“That’s a no,” I confirmed.
Day five, Marcus showed up at my office.
Security called first. “Marcus Turner is here. Says he’s your brother-in-law. He seems… upset.”
I gave him five minutes in a conference room with security present.
When I walked in, Marcus stood quickly. He looked wrecked—hair mussed, shadows under his eyes, the skin around his mouth drawn tight.
“Nina,” he said. “Thank you for seeing me.”
“You have five minutes,” I replied, sitting down.
He swallowed hard. “We’ll lose everything,” he said. “The house, the kids’ school district, their friends. Jessica made a mistake. She was drunk. She’s sorry.”
“Is she?” I asked. “Because she hasn’t apologized. She sent lawyers. She sent my mother. She sent you.”
Marcus’s shoulders slumped. “She’s terrified.”
“She wasn’t terrified when she texted me to know my place,” I said.
He flinched.
“We can’t come up with $298,000,” he said. “We can maybe scrape together seventy-five if we liquidate everything—savings, retirement, the boat—”
“The boat,” I repeated. “The one you bought while ignoring your mortgage payment.”
Marcus shut his eyes for a moment like the words physically hit him.
“I’m trying to keep my family in their home,” he whispered.
“Your family lived in a rental before I bought them a home,” I said. “They’ll survive in a rental again.”
“The kids—” he began.
“The kids will learn something useful,” I said. “That you can’t treat people like trash and expect them to keep paying for your life.”
Marcus stared at me for a long time. Then he nodded once, defeated.
“I guess there’s nothing more to say,” he murmured.
He walked out.
Day eight, Jessica called again.
I stared at her name on the screen. My thumb hovered.
