When I finally realized my dream and bought a house for my husband and me, that very same day, he declared..
With Emma’s help, I brought over essentials, and the empty rooms began to come alive. We bought simple but sturdy furniture: a bed, sofa, dining table, a few chairs. I started settling into my dream home, though not as I’d imagined.
Without James, with a bitter taste of distrust. Two days before James’s planned return, something unexpected happened. My phone rang early, and Chloe’s name—James’s niece—flashed on the screen.
Odd—we barely spoke, and I didn’t even have her number saved. “Hello?” “Aunt Sarah, it’s Chloe,” her voice was hushed, as if afraid of being overheard.
“I… I need to tell you something.” “What’s wrong, Chloe? You okay?” “Yeah, but… I thought you should know. They’re all here, at our house—Uncle James, Grandma, Mom.
They keep talking about moving in with you. Grandma sold her house, and everything’s packed.” My heart froze. “What are you talking about, Chloe?” “They’re planning to move into your new house. All of them—Grandma, Mom, Ethan, and me. Uncle James says the house is big, plenty of room for everyone. Grandma said it’s better you don’t know—less hassle.”
I sank into a chair, stunned. “Chloe, are you sure?” “Yeah. Mom’s packed all our stuff, we’re supposed to move in a couple of days.
Uncle James promised to get me into a better school. They also mentioned something about a laundromat or coffee shop. I didn’t catch it all, but Grandma said the money from her house sale needs to go into a business and that ‘that simpleton’ shouldn’t interfere. I think she meant you. Sorry.”
“That simpleton”—that’s what Patricia called me when she thought I couldn’t hear. Chloe wasn’t making this up. “Thank you for telling me, Chloe.
This means a lot.” “You won’t tell them I called, right?” Her voice trembled. “Grandma will be furious.”
“I promise, no one will know. But why did you call me?” “I don’t know,” she hesitated. “It just didn’t feel right. And…
You’ve always been kind to me. Didn’t treat me like a problem kid. And your house…
I saw the pictures Uncle James showed Mom. It’s beautiful. I’d love to live there, but not like this.
Not by lying.” After the call, I sat frozen, piecing it together: James’s odd behavior, secret talks with his mom, the lie about the trip, the suitcases.
They planned to move in, all of them, without asking me. My first instinct was to call James and confront him.
But I stopped myself. If he’d lied this long, he wouldn’t come clean now. No, I had to play this differently.
I called Emma and told her about Chloe’s call. “I knew it!” she exclaimed.
“It all adds up. But don’t worry, they won’t get away with it. The house is in my name, and I’d burn it down before letting them have it.
What’s your plan?” “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I need to think.” My mind raced, replaying our life with James, eight years of marriage, his small and big lies I’d forgiven, his loyalty to his family over me.
How he always sided with his mom in our disputes. How he let her belittle me. How he ignored Laura’s exploitation of us, taking our money and help without giving back.
I realized my marriage to James was never what I’d imagined. I’d loved a fantasy—a talented, kind, slightly dreamy designer down on his luck. But the reality was different. And now, that reality was about to crash into my life, my house, shattering my hopes for a happy future. It was time to face the truth and decide.
Friday morning, the day James was due back, the doorbell rang. I knew it was him—Emma had installed a camera at the entrance, and I saw him on my phone. He stood on the porch with a bouquet, grinning as if nothing was wrong, as if he hadn’t lied.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. “Sarah!” He stepped forward, arms wide.
“You’re already here. I thought you’d be at the apartment.” “As you can see, I moved in,” I said coldly, not returning his embrace.
He froze, then his smile widened, though it now seemed forced. “That’s great. The house is amazing, you picked a winner.
And you’ve got furniture already. Nice work.” He walked into the living room, tossing admiring glances around.
“Such high ceilings, so much space. It’ll be perfect.” “Where were you, James?” I cut him off.
He turned, a flicker of panic crossing his face. “I told you, at Mom’s. Fixing the roof.”
“I called your mom,” I said evenly. “She said you weren’t there and her roof’s fine.” He paled but recovered quickly. “Okay, I wasn’t at Mom’s.
I didn’t want to worry you, but I got a chance to join a cool project. It was out of town, had to leave suddenly. Thought you wouldn’t get it.”
“Enough lies, James,” I was done with his stories. “I know where you were and what you planned.” He froze, staring at me in confusion.
“What are you talking about?” “You were at your mom’s, helping her and Laura pack, because you all planned to move here. Into my house. Without asking me.”
Fear flashed in his eyes, then his face twisted into righteous indignation. “Yeah, I was at Mom’s. So what? She’s my mother, for God’s sake.
She’s got problems, and I had to help.” “What problems, James? Tell me.” He paced, avoiding my gaze.
“Her arthritis, you know. It’s hard for her to manage the house. And there’s trouble at school, she might get fired…