Chapter 5 - THE DAY THEY TRIED TO STOP THE SALE
The first open house was scheduled for Saturday.
By Friday night, Chloe had already decided she would stop it.
I knew because Mallory called me.
“She says she's refusing access.”
“To the house?”
“Yes.”
“Does she have any legal right?”
“No.”
“Then what happens?”
“We can request police assistance if necessary.”
I sighed.
“Don't escalate.”
“I'm not.”
“Give them until tomorrow morning.”
Mallory paused.
“Carson?”
“Yes?”
“You should know something.”
“What?”
“Your parents aren't the only ones living there.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“There is a man who has been staying there.”
“Who?”
“Chloe's boyfriend.”
I closed my eyes.
“What boyfriend?”
“Apparently, his name is Derek.”
“I've never heard of him.”
“Neither had I.”
I rubbed my forehead.
“How long?”
“According to the neighbors, several months.”
That explained several missing parking spaces.
The next morning, I arrived at the house.
Derek opened the door.
He was around thirty-five.
Messy hair.
Expensive sneakers.
The kind of confidence people develop when they believe someone else will solve their problems.
“Who are you?”
“Carson.”
He frowned.
“Chloe's brother.”
“I know who you are.”
“Then you know this isn't your house.”
He smiled.
“It's a family home.”
“No.”
“It belongs to your parents.”
“No.”
He looked behind me.
“Where's your wife?”
“Not here.”
“Good.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
He shrugged.
“She doesn't need to be around this.”
I stepped closer.
“Listen carefully.”
“I wouldn't.”
“You're staying in a property you don't own.”
“So?”
“You've been told to leave.”
“By Chloe?”
“By me.”
He laughed.
“You can't kick me out.”
I took out my phone.
“I don't need to.”
He looked confused.
“I'll let the police handle it.”
His smile disappeared.
Chloe appeared behind him.
“You called the police?”
“No.”
“Yet.”
She stepped forward.
“You're unbelievable.”
“You need to leave the property.”
“I'm not leaving.”
“Then you'll leave when the buyers arrive.”
She laughed.
“You think strangers are buying this house?”
“They already made an offer.”
Her face went white.
“You accepted it?”
“Yes.”
She looked at Derek.
Then back at me.
“You had no right.”
I stared at her.
“I own it.”
She shook her head.
“This was supposed to be mine.”
“According to whom?”
She didn't answer.
“Chloe.”
She looked away.
Then she said,
“Mom promised.”
I laughed.
“Mom can't promise you my property.”
“She said you'd give it to me.”
I felt something crack inside.
“Did you believe that?”
“Yes.”
“For five years?”
“Yes.”
“That explains everything.”
She looked at me.
“What?”
“You weren't confused.”
She frowned.
“You genuinely believed you owned something because Mom told you it would be yours.”
She started crying.
“I thought you loved me.”
“I do.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Because love doesn't mean giving you everything.”
She wiped her face.
“You're cruel.”
“No.”
I looked at the house.
“I've been enabling you.”
There was silence.
Then Dad appeared behind her.
“Chloe.”
She turned.
“Dad, tell him.”
Dad shook his head.
“No.”
“What?”
“You need to leave.”
Her face collapsed.
“You too?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“You're my father.”
“And I love you.”
“Then help me.”
“I have.”
“No!”
She screamed.
“You always help him!”
Dad's voice remained calm.
“Because he helped himself.”
Chloe froze.
Then Dad said the sentence I had spent years waiting to hear.
“You can't keep asking people to rescue you from consequences you create yourself.”
She started crying.
Derek walked away.
He wasn't interested in staying once he realized nobody was going to finance his life.
The open house happened that afternoon.
Twenty-seven groups walked through.
A young couple with twins.
An older couple looking for a single-level home.
A doctor and his wife.
A family moving from another state.
And one couple who immediately fell in love with the kitchen.
They were Daniel and Rachel Brooks.
The same couple whose offer we had accepted.
Rachel stood in the nursery room.
“This would be perfect for our daughter.”
I smiled.
“I think she'd love it.”
Daniel looked at me.
“Thank you for taking care of the place.”
I nodded.
“It was important to me.”
He didn't know why.
He didn't need to.
By evening, the house was empty.
My parents had packed.
Chloe had gone to a hotel.
Derek had disappeared.
I walked through the rooms one final time.
The living room.
The kitchen.
The hallway.
The chair.
I stood in front of the recliner.
For a moment, I remembered the shoe flying through the air.
Gretchen flinching.
My father laughing.
My mother saying,
“You know how Chloe gets.”
Then I imagined my daughter growing up in a house where someone could throw something at her mother and everyone would excuse it.
I knew I had made the right decision.
When I got home, Gretchen was waiting.
“How did it go?”
“It's over.”
She smiled.
“Are they okay?”
“I think so.”
“And you?”
I sat beside her.
“I'm tired.”
She leaned against me.
“You did something hard.”
“I know.”
She placed my hand on her stomach.
The baby moved.
I smiled.
Our daughter.
My family.
The family I was responsible for now.
Not the family I had spent years trying to manage.
May you like
Our family.
And that night, I slept better than I had in years.
