"That's none of your concern!"
The memory hit me like a freight train. After Joel's car accident in my previous life,
I'd tried to sell the apartment, only to be told at the office that he'd already transferred it to Maya.
Terrified of history repeating itself, the first thing I did when I got home was tear through every drawer and cabinet.
"What are you looking for?"
Joel followed me in.
I looked up. "Where's the deed?"
Something flickered behind his eyes, but he went ahead and pulled it out.
"Right here. See?"
I snatched it from his hands and flipped it open, my fingers clumsy with urgency.
A bright red mortgage registration stamp stared back at me. It hadn't been there before.
"What is this?"
I jabbed my finger at the stamp.
Joel turned his face away and said nothing.
"Talk!"
"You have three seconds before I call the police."
I grabbed my phone and dialed 911.
Joel ripped it out of my hand and threw it onto the bed.
"I took out a mortgage on this apartment. The one we're living in right now."
I stared at him, unable to process what I'd just heard.
"This property is jointly owned. Or did you forget I put in five hundred thousand dollars?"
"How much did you borrow? Where's the money?"
Joel saw how worked up I was and moved to clamp his hand over my mouth.
"Keep your voice down. Maya will hear you."
I laughed. The kind of laugh that comes right before something breaks. "You gave it to her?"
Joel's expression locked up for a second. When he realized I'd already figured it out, he stopped pretending.
"Eight hundred thousand. Transferred every cent to Maya's account."
"We can pay it back over time. Getting her a place to live comes first."
I dug my nails into my own palm, forcing myself to stay steady.
"Give me back my five hundred thousand."
Joel stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
"What are you saying? You want a divorce? Over a house?"
"Yes."
My voice cut through the room like a blade.
Laurel and Maya had been eavesdropping in the living room. The moment things escalated, they came barreling through the door.
Laurel planted herself next to Joel and rolled her eyes at me.
"Leila, I don't like to meddle, but if I'd known you were this selfish, I never would've let Joel marry you."
Maya stood there with red-rimmed eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tugged at my sleeve.
"Leila, please don't do this. I'll give the eight hundred thousand back to Joel."
"I'm not even their real daughter. They shouldn't have to sacrifice so much for me."
"I'll just... I'll leave. I'll figure things out on my own."
She turned away, chin trembling with theatrical resolve, and started toward the door.
Joel lunged forward and caught her wrist, pulling her back.
"You're not going anywhere."
Laurel gathered Maya into her arms and stroked her hair.
"You may not be ours by blood, but we raised you for over twenty years. This is your home."
"That eight hundred thousand? Consider it a gift. I'm making the call for Joel."
"And Leila, if you insist on making a scene, you can start by returning the hundred and eighty thousand we spent on your bride price and the two hundred thousand for the wedding banquet."
Joel pulled me aside. His eyes were strained, his jaw tight, as if he were the one being wronged.
"Leila, you weren't like this before. You told me once that as long as you could marry me, you'd do anything."
Yes. Before. I'd loved him so much that every sacrifice tasted sweet.
And what did it get me?
He signed our apartment over to Maya behind my back. Every birthday gift he ever gave me was a fake.
This family had no room for me. Not even the baby I carried for ten months. My child was born dead.
He registered Maya's illegitimate child under my name, and I spent seven years as a stay-at-home mother raising a kid that was never mine.
