“Contrary to what you choose to believe, my mother has kept a close eye on Sevyn and her progress. She was informed that Sevyn would be leaving the hospital today,” Liam stated.
“I just thought that I had more time,” my mother-in-law confessed. “I would not have wanted to confront you this way.”
“I’m sure that you wouldn’t want to confront me at all. I’m sure that you would have been just as happy never to see me again,” I replied boldly as Deuce moved from in front of me to stand beside me.
Elaine stared at me with eyes as sharp as glass. “What I would have appreciated was if you had never walked down the aisle with my son. I told you that you would feel my wrath if you ever hurt him.”
“And I never did. It was your son who repeatedly hurt me, yet I forgave him and took him back again and again. I’m sure that you had something to do with that.”
“You cannot blame a mother for not letting a whore sink her claws into my son.”
“All right, that’s enough of that,” Deuce barked. “I don’t know what your problem is, lady, and I don’t give a damn. But I’m not going to stand by and watch you disrespect her or stress her out. Do you even have a heart? She just got out of the hospital, and you two come ripping her to shreds.”
“How long has she had you wrapped around her finger?” Liam asked.
“You jealous little boy who can’t seem to find his way out from under his mother’s breasts. I may not remember a lot, but I remember what happened that day in the kitchen,” I accused.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam sneered, stepping closer to me. Deuce stepped in front of my wheelchair and became a wall of brick between the two of us. I tried to peer around him, but he was immovable with his arms crossed over his chest in a show of force.
“I’m sure that you don’t. That same little act you put on for your mother the day of Ethan’s and my engagement party is the same one you’re putting on now.”
“Get out of my house, Sevyn,” Elaine spoke up.
“The state of Georgia gives me seven days before I have to leave the property once the eviction judgment is finalized.”
“And yet, look at that. It’s been seven days,” Elaine replied, tapping the Writ of Possession that she had reclaimed fromDeuce. “The sheriff’s office will be here soon. I suggest you get packed and moved out before they forcibly remove you.”
I looked to Deuce with a helpless look. “Go ahead and grab what you can. I’ll handle the rest,” he stated, pulling his phone from his pocket. I stood helplessly by as he glared at them. “You will give her time to get her things together in private.” He slammed the door in their faces as he made another call.
My heart was heavy as I rolled back to my bedroom while he spoke into his phone. “Hey, Asad. I need you to contact Frost, and I need you at the address I’m about to text you. I need you here immediately. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll let you know. I need to call Blake. A’ight. See you in a minute.”
The tears fell from my eyes as I entered the room that I had once shared with my husband. I couldn’t believe that my life was continuing to fall apart. I had nowhere to run, no place to go, and no one to take me in.
I went to the walk-in closet and snatched my clothes from the hangers. How had I never known that the condo wasn’t ours? How had that escaped me? I had moved out of my tiny apartment into the place where Ethan had been living for six months. I always assumed that it was his, and I never questioned it. The same way I had done with so many other things through the years.
I needed to find out how much money I had in the bank. Thankfully, years ago, I had given Waverleigh power of attorney over both mine and my grandmother’s financial and medical matters in the event something happened to us. Even after I married Ethan, that had remained in place, and I had never changed it.
I was certain that she had handled my finances well, but without any income, I wasn’t certain what all I had remaining. With mounting medical bills that would be paid mostly by my insurance, there were still copays and deductibles to be met. Iwas certain most of that had dwindled my savings during my time in the hospital. The short-term disability pay wasn’t much.
It wouldn’t be easy to just get another place overnight, but I hoped that I could afford an extended stay hotel until I could get my affairs in order.
“Sevyn?” Deuce called to me, interrupting my thoughts as he strode into the bedroom.
I looked over my shoulder. “Yes?”
“I’ve got some help coming soon. I know this isn’t easy for you, but I just need you to grab what is most important. Don’t worry about the clothing or shoes; we can take care of all that. Most importantly, grab any important documents that you may need, any sentimental items or memorabilia that you don’t want to lose.”
I nodded and sniffled as the tears fell freely. Before I knew it, Deuce was kneeling in front of my chair, and he held me in his arms and rubbed my back gently. He rested his chin on my head and whispered, “It’s all going to work out just fine.”
“I have nowhere to go, Deuce.”
“Yes, you do. With me. You’ll go with me.”
ONE WEEK LATER
It had not been easy,but I had finally convinced Sevyn to return to my place with me. She argued about getting a hotel room or maybe even a motel, but I informed her that wasn’t going to happen. Aside from looking seedy and rundown, the motels were inconvenient because they weren’t wheelchair accessible. The hotels were much better, but she needed someone to assist her with things like cooking, and she couldn’t live on takeout alone.
Her condo had not been equipped for a wheelchair, but minor things were easy to navigate. Her kitchen counters hadn’t been very high, but her cabinets were. The cabinets in my housewere easily accessible, and I had the option to move items to lower ones if I chose. That same setup wouldn’t be available in a hotel room.
