Carissa's breathing turned ragged.
Craig helped her to her feet.
"I'll take her outside first. You settle the balance."
The manager held out the bill.
I didn't sign.
"The wedding date is postponed."
The manager froze.
"Miss Fox, the deposit may not be refundable."
"Follow the contract."
As Craig was helping Carissa into the car, Monica called.
"Miss Fox, if you're serious about selling that place, I've got a cash buyer in hand."
I watched Craig pull the car door shut for Carissa.
"I'm serious."
Monica asked,
"What about the price?"
"Below market. Negotiable."
Back home, I canceled the venue reservation.
I sent a termination request to the bridal shop too.
Craig texted.
"Carissa's stable now. Don't blow today out of proportion."
I sent back two words.
"Too late."
He didn't reply again.
I downloaded a property sale contract template.
The wedding could go on without me.
The marriage home could exist without him.
At nine in the morning, I went to the bank.
The clerk wrote the early-repayment penalty on a slip of paper.
"Ms. Fox, that's a sizable amount. Are you sure?"
I signed.
"I'm sure."
She reminded me again.
"Once the mortgage is released, the property can be sold."
I handed over my ID.
"I know."
As I walked out of the bank, Craig texted.
"What do you want for lunch?"
I replied,
"Come home early tonight. We need to talk about the house."
He wrote back,
"Okay. This time I'll really listen to you."
I slipped the phone into my pocket.
That afternoon, Monica brought the buyers to see the place.
Ahead of time, I'd packed Carissa's pill case, sleep machine, aromatherapy diffuser, and slippers into a clear bag.
The bag sat in the entryway.
The buyer's wife noticed the silk bedding in the master bedroom.
"It's in great shape. Could it stay?"
I said,
"The bedding doesn't stay."
The buyer's husband glanced at the balcony.
"Why such a rush to sell?"
I handed him a copy of the property deed.
"Planning to move to another city."
Monica pulled me aside.
"You've cut the price too deep. They'll still try to haggle."
"Cash is fast. The price is negotiable."
She said,
"Your mind's made up."
"Yes."
At dusk, Craig came home.
He saw the storage boxes in the living room.
"Sorting out the wedding things?"
I set the settlement sheet on the coffee table.
"Sit."
He saw the spreadsheet, and his face changed.
"Jennifer, are you serious about this?"
"Me sleeping on the couch last night was serious too."
He sat down.
"You go first."
I opened to the first page.
"Down payment of $400K. I put in $267K, you put in $133K."
He nodded.
"I'll grant you that."
"Renovations, $105K. I paid."
"The bulk of the monthly payments came out of my account."
"Maintenance fees, appliances, furnishings—I paid for those."
He rubbed the space between his brows.
"Tallying all this up now. What's the point?"
"There is one."
His phone started buzzing.
Carissa's name flashed on the screen.
He declined it.
It rang a second time.
The third time, she sent a voice message.
"Craig, I'm alone in the master bedroom. The window feels like it's falling away beneath me. I don't want to live anymore."
Craig stood up.
I stepped into his path.
"If you leave tonight, there's nothing left for us to talk about."
He grabbed the car keys.
"She's sick, Jennifer. Don't force me to be a cold-blooded man."
I looked at him.
"The night my stomach was killing me, you were plenty cold-blooded."
His face went stiff.
The door shut.
The footsteps faded.
I opened my banking app.
I keyed in a transfer of one month's payment, ten grand.
Several months of the loan, converted out.
The depreciation difference on the furniture.
Memo: property and shared expenses, settled in full.
I confirmed the transfer.
Craig's call came through fast.
I didn't pick up.
I gathered the deed, the mortgage release receipt, my ID, and the spare key.
At the transaction center window, the buyers, a married couple, had already arrived.
Monica handed the documents over to the clerk.
My phone kept buzzing.
The screen was nothing but Craig's name.
The clerk verified my identity.
"Property holder Jennifer Fox. All documents in order."
I set the title certificate into the tray.
The clerk looked up.
"Ms. Fox, do you confirm you are selling this property of your own free will?"
Behind me came Craig's voice.
"Jennifer, don't you dare sell that house."
