“Put it on speaker,” I said.
Linda’s voice came through, frantic.
“Vanessa! What did you do? Open the door right now! We’re outside like fools!”
I adjusted my baby.
“That’s strange,” I said calmly. “Seven days ago, I was locked out of something important too. No one opened the door for me.”
Silence.
Then Ethan.
“Vanessa, enough. Open the house. Let’s talk.”
I took a slow breath before answering.
“Talk?” I repeated softly. “You had your chance to talk… when I was on the floor, begging for help.”
No one spoke.
I could hear the wind on their side… and silence on mine.
Then I continued.
“I changed the locks the same night I gave birth.”
Linda gasped. Ashley started crying.
Ethan’s voice cracked. “Vanessa… please… where are you? Let’s fix this.”
I looked down at my son, his tiny fingers wrapped around mine.
“There’s nothing to fix.”
Another silence. He was breaking now.
“You can’t just throw us out. That’s our home.”
“No,” I said calmly. “It was never yours.”
Then I added the final blow.
“And check your accounts.”
A pause.
Then panic.
“What did you do?” Linda shouted.
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