²
Diane was breathing hard, the way she did when panic and anger collided. In the background, I could hear a truck engine idling, a horn, and someone asking if they should unload. She must have expected us to come rushing out, apologizing for not being ready. Instead, she got silence long enough to make her uneasy.
“Claire?” she said again, sharper. “Answer me. There’s no one here. The gate says access restricted. Why is there a leasing sign?”
That almost made me laugh again, but Marcus squeezed my hand before responding.
“Because, Mom, that property isn’t our residence.”
The pause that followed was complete. I could hear the wind through her phone.
“What are you talking about?” she asked finally.
“It’s an investment property,” he said. “We bought it as a rental venture. We never said you were moving in.”
“Yes, you did!”
“No,” I said calmly. “You assumed.”
Her voice rose immediately. “Don’t play word games with me. I sold my house!”
Marcus exhaled slowly. “You sold your house without asking a single direct question about living arrangements. You announced your plan. That’s not the same as being invited.”
That was the truth at the center of everything. Diane had never actually waited for permission. She listened just long enough to grab something she could use, then filled in the rest herself. In her mind, certainty was the same as agreement.
She started shouting, anger replacing panic because anger had always been her shield. “So where are you? I have all my furniture, all my boxes, and nowhere to go because of this stunt!”
Marcus didn’t flinch. “We’re at our home.”
“Then send me the address.”
“No.”
The driver said something about overtime. Diane snapped at him to wait, then came back sounding half furious, half desperate. “You can’t leave me stranded.”
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