Chloe stepped forward.
“You can’t just throw us out,” she snapped. “We live here.”
I finally answered.
“No,” I said. “You don’t.”
All three turned toward me.
Richard stepped forward.
“This isn’t over,” he said.
“It is,” I replied.
Evelyn tried another approach.
No audience.
No performance.
Only desperation.
“Harper,” she said softly. “We can fix this.”
I said nothing.
“We made mistakes,” she continued. “But this, this is too far. We’re still your family.”
Family.
Again.
I looked at her.
No control left.
No strategy.
Just fear.
“I gave you seven days,” I said.
She stepped closer.
“Please,” she said.
That word didn’t fit her.
“Not after everything. Not after the lies, the theft, the setup.”
Chloe started crying again.
This time it wasn’t controlled.
It was messy and real.
“Where are we supposed to go?” she said.
I didn’t answer.
That question wasn’t mine to solve.
