She stared at me coldly.
"This house belongs to Rhys now. Nothing you say is going to change that."
I looked at the two of them for a long time.
Then I let out a quiet laugh and made a phone call.
"Send me a few people."
The moment I hung up, Sabina scoffed.
"Edgar, who are you trying to fool?"
"You don't have a cent to your name. Who could you possibly call?"
Rhys let out a soft sigh, his voice gentle as ever.
"Edgar, I know this is hard to accept, but it's already done."
He looked down and stroked Joey's head.
"Sabina felt sorry for us. That's the only reason she transferred the house to me."
I said nothing.
Our argument had drawn a crowd of neighbors. Someone recognized Sabina and called out, "Isn't that Professor Cobb? Ma'am, do you and your husband need us to call the police?"
Rhys smiled warmly. "It's nothing. Just an old acquaintance from overseas who refuses to leave my house."
At that, every pair of eyes turned on me with open disgust. Someone shouted at me directly.
"Disgusting foreigner! Get out! This neighborhood isn't for lowlifes like you! You're not welcome in this country!"
"Go back where you came from!"
Sabina turned to face me.
"Just leave, Edgar. This isn't something you can fix with an apology anymore. You've already... dirtied yourself."
I looked at her, expression blank.
"A hundred thousand dollars."
"What?"
"The money you spent renovating the house." My voice was even. "I bought this house. All you paid for was the renovation. I'll pay you back."
Sabina stared at me, patience gone.
"Give me a break. You couldn't even afford the mortgage without a loan. It took you ten years to pay it off. Where would you get the money to reimburse me?"
She pulled out her phone and dialed.
"This is Sabina Cobb. I'd like to report someone. Forged documents to obtain a marriage-based green card."
"Yes, I have evidence. Please come take him away immediately."
She hung up and looked at me, her expression complicated.
"Edgar. This could have been settled with a simple apology."
"I already explained everything to you. Once Joey gets into college and Rhys and Joey are settled, I would have been free to get our marriage registered. Why couldn't you just agree to that?"
"You waited ten years. What's another ten?"
A cold smile crossed my face, but inside, all I felt was grief.
So this was the truth. I'd wasted ten years of my life on a woman like her.
Sabina took a deep breath.
"If you promise never to bring up the thing between Rhys and me again, I can explain to immigration that this was all a misunderstanding."
"I know you don't want to be shipped back and forth. I can promise that every winter and summer break, I'll fly back to be with you. When we're there together, we can live like husband and wife..."
Rhys's eyes flashed with venom at her words, though his voice stayed silk-soft.
"Edgar, stop being so stubborn. Do you have any idea what happens if immigration takes you in? You're looking at ten years in prison, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines."
"A restaurant bill, sure, your manager friend can make that disappear. But a prison sentence? You can't exactly..."
Before he could finish, footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Sabina's face darkened, her tone edged with a barely veiled threat.
"Edgar! This is the last chance I'm giving you! Say yes, and I'll send them away. Refuse, and I have no choice but to let them take you."
I pulled the corner of my mouth into a calm smile, shook off Sabina's grip on my arm, and walked toward the door.
Several tall men in black suits and dark sunglasses filed in.
Sabina's jaw clenched. She seemed to steel herself, fixing me with one long, hard look.
Then she pointed at me and said:
"That's him—"
Before she could finish, I raised my hand and cut her off.
"Tear it down. Rip this house apart."
Rhys and Sabina's eyes went wide at the same time.
"You've lost your mind!"
Before either of them could say another word, my men had them bound and on the ground.
I walked over with a smile and slapped each of them across the face, one after the other, until my palms stung. Only then did I stop.
"A hundred thousand. Right here."
I tossed the check down at their feet.
"Sabina, anything that belongs to me—I'd rather see it smashed to pieces than let you have it."
My voice dropped to ice.
"Tearing it down isn't enough. Pack it with explosives. I want this filthy house leveled to the ground."
"You're insane! Do you have any idea who I am? I'm a federally protected consultant! You're signing your own death warrant!"
Over Sabina and Rhys's terrified screaming, the house blew apart into rubble.
The blast drew attention fast. Within minutes, a fleet of vehicles bearing Immigration and National Security markings had swarmed the street.
Sabina screamed at the top of her lungs:
"I'm Sabina Cobb! I'm a senior consultant hired by the United States government! This man is a lunatic! He forged his green card and hired illegal operatives to threaten me!"
"He belongs in prison—life without parole! Take him away!"
I didn't feel an ounce of fear.
I just let the corner of my mouth curl up and laughed softly.
