Vanessa laughed. ‘Yeah, and she took it so well.’
Rick stretched his arms above his head like it was another lazy day at his house. ‘Kid, don’t make this any harder than it has to be. We’ve given you plenty of time. Thought you’d be more mature about it.’
The doorbell rang. I stood up. ‘It’ll be the lawyer.’
Rick frowned. ‘What?’
I walked past him, opened the door, and let the man in. He was older, dressed in a strict suit and carried a leather briefcase. He barely graced Rick with a glance before pulling out a thick stack of papers.
‘My name is Mr Thompson,’ he said. ‘I was your mother’s lawyer.’ He turned to me. ‘You are the legal owner of this house. These papers prove it.’
Rick’s smile disappeared. ‘Wait, what?’
Mr Thompson flipped through the papers, calmly and methodically. ‘Your mother’s will is crystal clear. This property, as well as all assets, belongs solely to her daughter.’ He adjusted his glasses and looked directly at Rick. ‘You have no legal rights to this house.’
Vanessa sat up. ‘That can’t be true,’ she snapped back. ‘Rick told me…’ She turned to him, narrowing her eyes. ‘You told me this place belonged to you.’
Rick’s face was pale. ‘I…I mean, I thought…’
‘You lied to me?’ shrieked Vanessa.
Rick stuttered, but she had already grabbed her purse.
‘Oh, hell no,’ she hissed, standing up. ‘You drag me into this and you don’t even own the damn house?’ She whirled on me, but there was no arrogance in her eyes anymore. Only embarrassment.
‘I’m out of here,’ she muttered and headed for the door.
Rick rushed after her. ‘Baby, wait…’
The door slammed shut.
For the first time all evening, Rick looked nervous. He turned to me again. ‘Listen, baby…’
I held up a hand. ‘Stop calling me ‘baby’.’
He sighed, rubbing his face. ‘Okay, look. We can work something out.’ He gestured around. ‘I’ve lived here for a year. That’s got to count for something.’
Mr Thompson adjusted his glasses. ‘Actually, it counts. You’re illegally occupying this property without a lease. If you don’t leave voluntarily, the owner has every right to charge you with trespassing.’
Rick swallowed.
‘Press charges?’ I repeated, tilting my head. ‘Is that an option?’
Rick’s eyes widened. ‘Whoa, let’s not get crazy.’
There was a knock on the door. I didn’t even have to move this time – Mr Thompson did. He opened it and saw two uniformed police officers.
‘Sir,’ one of them addressed Rick. ‘You have twenty-four hours to leave the premises.’
Rick ran a hand through his hair, shifting his gaze from the officers to me. ‘And where do you expect me to go?’
I shrugged. ‘Not my problem.’
An officer stepped forward. ‘Sir, I suggest you start packing.’
Rick didn’t argue any further.
That night I sat in my room listening to the sounds of drawers opening, boxes being rearranged, and packages being dragged across the floor. I thought I would feel relief, victory, or anger.
But I felt nothing.
I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. It had taken a whole year to get to this place. A whole year of watching Rick take over my house, acting like I was the only one who didn’t belong.
Now I don’t anymore.
I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, the house was silent.
For the first time in a year, the house was mine.
I sat in the centre of the room, gazing into it. The silence wasn’t eerie. It was peaceful.
I walked over to the fireplace. My mother’s picture was in its place. I’d found it in a drawer, tucked behind Rick’s pile of useless junk. I ran my fingers over the frame.
‘I did it, Mum,’ I whispered.
Some people mistake kindness for weakness. But standing up for yourself? That’s how I got my power back.