"He's fine."
"Fine enough to sign our house over to someone else."
On the other end of the line, I heard Peter suck in a sharp breath.
Then came the explosion.
"What?! That goddamn son of a bitch!"
"Effie, you sit tight. I'm booking a flight right now!"
"I'm going to skin him alive!"
Listening to my brother's fury on my behalf, my nose stung and tears nearly spilled over.
In this world, there was still someone who truly cared about me.
"You don't need to, Peter."
"I can handle this myself."
I hung up and blocked both Marvin's and Imogen's numbers.
Then I changed into a new outfit I'd just bought and did my makeup with care.
I rented a sprawling flat in the most upscale high-rise in downtown.
When I swiped my own bank card and signed the lease for a full year's rent under my own name, a sense of freedom I had never known washed over me.
For the past thirty years, every dollar I spent seemed to carry the Swanson family's stamp on it.
Now, for the first time, I could spend my own money without apology.
The eminent domain compensation came from my parents' old house. It was my premarital asset, mine and mine alone.
In the past, I'd always thought of it as a family fund, money to leave for the children someday.
Looking back now, how laughable.
The day after I settled in, an unexpected visitor showed up at my door.
It was my mother-in-law. Dean's mother.
Marvin and Imogen trailed behind her.
They must have tracked my spending records and followed the trail here.
The moment my mother-in-law stepped inside, she surveyed the place like she was inspecting her own territory, eyes roaming every corner.
When she spotted the spacious living room and the glittering riverfront view beyond the windows, a flash of envy crossed her face.
"Effie Fox, you've really outdone yourself!"
"Your husband is lying in a hospital bed, life hanging in the balance, and here you are, hiding away in luxury!"
"And you still expect Dean to take you back?"
She dropped onto the leather sofa like she owned it, radiating the air of a woman who'd come to deliver a verdict.
Marvin and Imogen piled on immediately.
"Mom, we've been looking for you for two days!"
"You won't answer your phone, you won't respond to texts. All so you could hole up in here?"
"Do you even care about Dad anymore? Do you even care about this family?"
I poured each of them a glass of water and set it in front of them.
"That family you keep talking about belongs to the Finch woman now, doesn't it?"
"I'm an outsider. Why would I get involved?"
My mother-in-law slammed her palm on the table.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
"What do you mean, 'Finch woman'? Dean and Myra are true love!"
"Can't you show a little understanding?"
"Besides, Myra already said she doesn't want the house! Once Dean recovers, she'll give it right back to you!"
I nearly laughed out loud.
"She doesn't want it? Then why don't you have her sell it and use the money to pay Dean's medical bills?"
One sentence. All three of them went silent.
My mother-in-law's face cycled between green and white. She sputtered out a response.
"That... the house is in her name now. She won't sell it. What are we supposed to do about that?"
"But you're different! You have money!"
"Dean is your husband. Paying for his treatment is your duty!"
"Exactly!" Marvin jumped in immediately. "Mom, Dad's follow-up treatment is going to cost a fortune. The doctor said at least fifty thousand."
"Hand over the money. Now."
Imogen chimed in with the same entitled tone.
"Mom, just think of it as doing it for us. Pay the bills first."
"Once Dad's better, we'll make sure he gets the house back for you."
I looked at their faces, one by one. Eager. Greedy.
