A buyer turned up fast.
They paid without haggling and gave us three days to move out. I started packing right away. Caroline helped, carrying small things beside me.
Then the doorbell rang.
Through the smart doorbell camera, I saw who was standing outside: Kay, along with the others. Behind them sat a row of suitcases.
So that was the plan. They were going to move Kay in whether I liked it or not.
I glanced around the room. Packed boxes and luggage were everywhere. If they saw any of this, there would be questions I couldn't answer.
That door was staying shut.
Outside, Kay called through the intercom. "Jeanette? Caroline? Are you home?"
A beat of silence, then her voice softened. "I've been thinking I didn't consider your feelings enough the other day. Open the door, sweetheart. Let's sit down and talk it through properly."
Matthew chimed in right on cue. "Jeanette, we were out of line the other day. We're sorry about that."
Caroline perked up at the sound of her grandmother's voice and started toward the door. I caught her around the waist and carried her back to the bedroom.
She looked up at me, confused. "Mommy, aren't we going to open the door?"
I pressed a finger to my lips and smiled. "Grandma's playing hide-and-seek with you! You can't make a sound, okay? If she catches you, the punishment is no snacks for the whole day."
Caroline clapped both hands over her mouth and nodded solemnly.
I opened the app and watched the camera feed.
They kept ringing the bell. No one answered. After a while, Matthew lost patience.
"They're obviously not home. I told you we should've called first, but no, you two wanted the element of surprise." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, surprise—nobody's here. I'm not standing around waiting. It's not like they're going to disappear."
He turned to leave. Leila grabbed his arm.
"Hold on. Something's off." Her eyes narrowed. "What if Jeanette figured out we're after the compensation money and she's pretending not to be home?"
"She told us they'd be back in three days. How are they not back yet?"
Her voice climbed. "I bet she's planning to keep all of Reg's money for herself. She's probably already looking for a new husband to run off with!"
Kay slapped her thigh and let out a sharp cry. "Then we're in trouble! She wouldn't really take my son's compensation and run, would she? That's hundreds of thousands of dollars!"
"Absolutely not! I will not let some outsider walk away with that money! And this house—my son paid for this house! I want it back too!"
"Call her! Right now! Find out where she is! She is NOT getting away with this!"
Even knowing exactly what they were, hearing those words still stung.
To Kay, none of it mattered. Not the years I'd spent at her side, not every meal I'd cooked, not every hospital night I'd sat through. I was still just an outsider.
But at least in this life, my eyes were open. They would never play me again.
Seconds later, Leila's number flashed across my screen.
I let it ring a few times before picking up.
"Jeanette! Where are you? How come you're not back yet? You said three days!"
Her tone shifted, dripping with warmth. "We're at your front door right now. We were worried you'd be lonely, so we thought the whole family could have dinner together, catch up a little."
If I hadn't already known exactly what she was after, I might have actually believed she cared.
I kept my voice light, a little flustered. "Wait, you're at the house? Why didn't you call me first?"
"My parents just can't bear to let Caroline go yet. We decided to stay a few extra days, so I bought tickets for the day after tomorrow."
I paused, then added, "How about this—I'll bring Caroline over to see you all when we get back?"
Leila let out a dry laugh. "Oh, I see. My fault, then. I should've called ahead."
