Chapter 10 - The Ultimatum
For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the steady, rhythmic ticking of the hallway clock.
Mom looked from me down to the red leather ledger resting in my hands, then over at Chloe, whose arms were still crossed tightly, though her defiant glare had faltered into sullen, tearful defensiveness.
"Well," Mom finally said, clearing her throat and smoothing down the front of her blouse with trembling fingers. "I... I certainly didn't know anything about a broken floor or a chipped coffee table, Chloe. You told me you just dropped by occasionally to say hello."
"I do!" Chloe protested, her voice cracking with indignation. "He's exaggerating! He keeps score like a lawyer! That's not how family treats family!"
"No, Chloe," Mom said, her tone shifting subtly from absolute maternal defense to cautious mediation. "Stealing your brother's food, giving keys out to people without permission, and causing property damage isn't normal visiting either. That... that really isn't right."
Chloe’s jaw dropped. She stared at Mom as if the earth had suddenly split open beneath her feet. "Whose side are you on?! You're supposed to be chewing him out for humiliating me!"
"I am not taking sides, Chloe, but your brother has a right to his privacy," Mom replied, standing up straight and adjusting her handbag over her shoulder. The ironclad authority in her posture had softened into maternal exhaustion. "If you don't respect his home, you can't expect him to keep rolling out the red carpet for you."
Mom turned to me, her expression softening further, though a trace of stubborn pride still lingered in her eyes. "You didn't have to print out an itemized bill, Leo. That was... admittedly rather theatrical."
"Theater is the only language that gets through when normal boundaries are ignored for three years, Mom," I replied smoothly, not yielding an inch.
Mom let out a long, weary sigh, shaking her head. "I'm going home. Chloe, get in the car."
"I am not getting in the car with you if you're going to take his side!" Chloe shrieked, tears of sheer frustration spilling over her eyelashes. "You're both unbelievable! I hate you both!"
Without waiting another second, Chloe turned on her heel, wrenched my front door open, and sprinted down the porch steps. A moment later, the passenger door of Mom’s sedan slammed shut with enough force to echo down the entire suburban street.
Mom lingered by the doorway for a second, looking up at me with a complicated expression—part lingering maternal guilt, part reluctant respect.
"Call me sometime this weekend, Leo," she said quietly. "Just... without the invoices."
"Drive safe, Mom," I replied.
May you like
I watched as her car reversed out of the driveway and accelerated down the street, its taillights fading into the autumn darkness. I locked the front door, slid the deadbolt home, and let out a long breath I felt like I'd been holding for three years.
The house was mine again. Completely, unconditionally mine.
