Edward stared at the admission form, the silence stretching tight across the dining room. He waited for an explanation. I offered none.
Instead, I turned my back on him and walked out of the kitchen.
"Joan! I asked you a question," Edward called out, his chair scraping loudly against the floorboards.
I ignored him, my bare feet padding against the hardwood as I moved to the entryway cabinet. The top drawer stuck, swollen from the summer humidity, but I yanked it open. My fingers bypassed the spare keys and loose batteries, closing around a worn manila envelope tucked in the very back.
For ten years, my R&D consultant salary had kept this household afloat. Every paycheck bled out to cover Edward's endless gastroenterologist visits, Noah's premium monthly tutoring packages, and Margaret's expensive blood pressure prescriptions. I paid for their comfort while they took my money and my sanity for granted.
I walked back into the dining room and tossed the envelope onto the table next to the cold soup.
"What is this now?" Edward asked, his jaw tight.
"Open it," I said.
He hesitated, eyeing the frayed edges of the paper before reaching out. He slid his thumb under the flap and pulled out the stack of papers. The top sheet was a photocopy.
I watched his eyes track over the text. The color drained from his face the moment he recognized the prominent red bank stamp at the bottom corner.
"Where did you get this?" he demanded, his voice dropping an octave.
"I kept a copy," I said. "And the original."
The document was the mortgage agreement for my family's street-front pharmacy. The red ink of the stamp clearly displayed the date of the transaction.
Edward lunged forward, his hand darting out to snatch the papers.
I stepped back instantly, sliding the original deed behind my back and pressing it flat against my spine. His fingers grasped empty air.
"Give that to me," Edward ordered, his hand still extended.
"No."
"Joan, stop acting crazy. Hand it over right now."
"You took my family's legacy," I said, keeping my distance. "You put the deed in your name after I bailed out your failing startup."
"We are married," he argued, dropping his hand to his side. "What belongs to you belongs to me. It was an investment for our future."
"Your future," I corrected him. "Not mine."
Footsteps shuffled down the hallway. Margaret appeared in the doorway, clutching her silk shawl around her shoulders. She scowled at me, her thin lips pressed into a harsh line.
"Why are you shouting at my son?" Margaret asked, stepping into the room to stand beside Edward.
"We are having a private conversation, Margaret," I said.
"This is my house," she countered, lifting her chin. "I will not have you throwing another tantrum and ruining dinner. What are you harassing him about now?"
Edward tried to block his mother's view of the table. "It is nothing, Mom. Just go back to your room."
Margaret pushed past him, her eyes landing on the photocopy resting near the soup bowl. She squinted at the bank seal.
"Are you bringing up that old pharmacy again?" Margaret scoffed, turning her glare back on me. "Always digging up the past. You should be grateful Edward managed that property for you. You would have run it into the ground."
"I ran it perfectly fine before he needed a bailout," I said.
"You are so petty, Joan," Margaret said, shaking her head. "Counting pennies with your own husband. After everything he provides for you."
"He provides nothing," I said, my tone flat. "I mortgaged the pharmacy for exactly $480,000. The transfer cleared on October 12th, seven years ago. The title went directly into his LLC."
Edward flinched. He clearly thought I had forgotten the exact figures.
"So what?" Margaret snapped. "He built a successful company with it. You just sit around the house all day."
"I work from home," I said. "And my salary pays for your pills."
Margaret gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. "Edward, are you going to let her speak to me this way?"
"Joan, apologize to my mother," Edward said, stepping toward me again.
"I will not apologize for reciting facts," I said.
"You are out of control today," Edward said, pointing a finger at me. "First the boarding school application, now this. What is your goal here? Do you want money? Is that it?"
"I want what is mine," I said.
"Nothing is yours," Margaret spat. "You gave it to him."
The sharp chime of the doorbell cut through the tension.
No one moved. Noah finally peeked out from the living room, a video game controller still clutched in his hands.
"Did someone order food?" Noah asked.
"Go to your room, Noah," Edward said without looking at him.
The doorbell chimed a second time.
I turned away from Edward and Margaret, walking down the short hall to the front door. I kept the original deed gripped tightly in my left hand.
I grabbed the brass handle and pulled the door open.
Sylvia stood on the front steps. She wore a pristine white sundress, a bright smile plastered across her face. A glossy blue gift box dangled from her fingers by a silk ribbon.
"Sister-in-law," Sylvia chirped, her eyes darting past me to catch a glimpse of Edward. "I hope I am not interrupting dinner. I just came to pick Noah up for his tutoring session."
Before I could answer, she stepped over the threshold and walked right into my house.
