Chapter 1 - The Cold Kitchen
The kitchen was a tomb of silence, broken only by the sharp, rhythmic clink of ceramic hitting metal. The December draft whipped around the room, smelling of industrial cleaner and the stagnant, greasy scent of a meal Maya hadn't been allowed to share. She stood at the sink, her hair frizzed from the humidity of the hot water, her skin a mottled, sickly shade of porcelain.
My heart felt like it was being fed through a meat grinder. When I saw the dark, blooming bruise on her wrist—a hand-shaped souvenir—my vision tunneled. I looked at Ethan, who was currently criticizing the seasoning of the roast chicken I knew Maya had spent four hours preparing, and I saw a man who had never been told "no" in his entire life.
"Calling the owner?" Ethan sneered, his eyes darting toward the floor where the shattered china lay in jagged, white teeth. "What, are you going to call your husband? Please. The lease is in my name, Mrs. Sterling. You have no authority here."
Beatrice chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. "She thinks she can intimidate us, Ethan. Let her make her call. It’s pathetic, really."
I held my phone to my ear, my eyes locked on Maya. I didn't want to look at her because if I did, I would start screaming, and if I started screaming, I wouldn't stop until the house burned down. "Yes," I said, my voice steady enough to chill the blood in Ethan's veins. "The property at 42 Oak Creek. The deed is being exercised. I want the immediate eviction notice served. Yes, now. My legal team is already in the driveway."
I hit end. The room was deathly quiet.
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"What are you talking about?" Ethan stood up, his face losing its practiced arrogance. "My parents bought this place for us. It’s a gift."
"Your parents provided the down payment," I said, stepping into the kitchen, the heels of my boots clicking like a ticking bomb on the hardwood. "But they ran into financial trouble three years ago. Your father, ever the prideful man, came to me for a bridge loan. He couldn't pay it back. I didn't want to ruin the family name, so I bought the mortgage privately. I am the mortgage holder, Ethan. I am the landlord."
