"She was just looking. Why are you so jealous over every little thing?"
"If it bothers you that much, come along."
As he finished, his eyes landed on the document folder by my hand, and he reached for it.
"What's this?"
I pressed it down before he could.
"My things."
"Since when can't I look at your things?"
He grabbed for it.
I stood up, taking myself and the folder a step back.
His hand froze in midair, and the air between us turned cold.
Duane Delgado stared at me, something unfamiliar in his eyes, like he was sizing me up.
"Cornelia Sullivan, you've been acting strange lately."
I gave a faint smile.
"Have I?"
"You never used to be like this."
"I never used to think I'd actually get married, either."
The words dropped, and Duane's expression changed completely.
He stared at me for a long moment, then suddenly laughed.
"Fine. Threatening me again."
"Is this about the keys last night?"
"I already told you, that place is going to be ours eventually. What's the point of clinging to it like this?"
He came over, his tone softening a little.
"Cornelia, stop this."
"I'll come back tonight and have dinner with you. We can lock in the date for the license while we're at it."
I looked at him.
"Don't bother coming back tonight."
He froze.
I picked up the folder and grabbed my bag.
"I have plans."
The notary office opened at nine.
By the time I got there, a clerk was just rolling up the gate.
My face reflected back at me in the glass door.
No tears. No red eyes.
Just calm. So calm it felt unfamiliar, even to me.
The notary finished checking my paperwork and looked up.
"Miss Sullivan, are you certain you want to file a withdrawal-of-funds declaration?"
"Once this declaration is notarized, we'll help confirm that the signing process is valid and authentic. As for freezing the property transfer afterward, your lawyer will still need to send a formal letter to the developer."
I nodded.
"I'm certain."
She reminded me again:
"You've put in a three-hundred-thousand-dollar down payment, plus another eighty-six thousand prepaid toward furnishings."
"If the other party refuses to return it, you may have to take this to court."
I signed my name.
"Then I'll sue."
As the pen tip glided across the paper, I suddenly thought of my mother's gold bracelet.
Before she passed, she held my hand and said:
"Cornelia, a woman has to have her own money. Love someone, fine, but never hand over your whole life."
I didn't understand it then. I do now.
When I walked out of the notary office, there were more than a dozen missed calls on my phone.
Duane's calls. I didn't return them.
Right after that, Willow Simmons sent a photo.
In it, she stood in the living room of the new place.
The wall where I'd planned to build a bookshelf had been mocked up with software into one big pink display cabinet.
The caption read: 【Cornelia, do you think I made the place too girly? Duane said as long as I like it, that's all that matters.】
Below it was a voice message.
I tapped play. Willow's voice came through soft and sweet.
"Cornelia, don't get the wrong idea."
"I'm just trying the place out early for you two. After all, I know Duane's daily habits better than you do."
When it finished, I saved the photo and forwarded everything to my lawyer.
【Does this count as her disposing of jointly funded property rights without authorization?】
The lawyer replied fast.
【It can be used as evidence.】
I'd just put my phone away when Duane called again.
This time I answered. His voice was pressed tight over the anger.
"Cornelia Sullivan, where did you go?"
"Handling some paperwork."
"What paperwork? Did you go to the notary office?"
I said nothing.
Duane's breathing grew heavier.
