more scared
“julie,” she said
her voice shook
“can i talk to you”
“through the door,” i said
she swallowed hard
“i’m not here to fight”
“you never thought you were fighting,” i said
“you thought you were taking”
her eyes filled
“we’re in trouble,” she whispered
and that sentence hit me harder than i expected because it was the first honest thing i’d heard from her in years
“what kind of trouble”
she hesitated like she was trying to decide which lie to pick
then she just exhaled
“money trouble”
“maria’s trouble or yours”
olivia’s shoulders sagged
“both”
she glanced at my belly
“she’s furious about the baby”
“that’s not her business”
“she thinks it changes everything,” olivia said
“she thinks if she can paint you as…” she couldn’t finish the sentence
i stared at her
“as what”
“as unstable,” she said quickly
“as reckless”
my blood ran cold
because i knew that strategy
i’d lived it
“why are you telling me this”
olivia’s voice cracked
“because she’s going to do something”
“what”
olivia shook her head
“i don’t know exactly but she’s been making calls and she’s been meeting with someone at a real estate office”
“why”
“dad’s apartment,” olivia whispered
“she found the address”
my hand tightened on the doorknob
“how”
olivia’s eyes flicked away
“i… i told her”
there it was
the betrayal in plain daylight
but then she added quickly
“i didn’t think she’d use it like this i thought she just wanted to feel like she still had something”
“olivia,” i said
my voice was quiet
“your mother doesn’t want something she wants everything”
olivia flinched
“i know,” she whispered
“and i can’t do this anymore”
she took a step back
“i’m sorry”
“sorry doesn’t fix it,” i said
and her face crumpled like she’d expected that
“i know,” she said
“but i had to warn you”
then she walked off the porch and drove away like a person running from a fire she helped start
The apartment they thought was waiting
i drove to dad’s old apartment building that same afternoon with emma in the passenger seat and my hands tight on the steering wheel
it wasn’t a fancy building
just a sturdy brick place with a tired lobby and a manager who knew every tenant by name
mrs ramos met us at the desk
“julie,” she said
“how’s your father”
“he’s hanging in,” i said
“mrs ramos i need to ask you something”
her face shifted
“what’s wrong”
“has anyone been here asking about apartment 3c”
mrs ramos didn’t even pretend to think
“yes”
my stomach dropped
“who”
“your husband’s mother,” she said
“she came in yesterday with a young woman”
emma’s eyes narrowed
“what did they want”
mrs ramos frowned
“they said family owned the lease now because your husband passed”
my throat tightened
“and”
“and i told them leases don’t work that way,” she said
“i told them they’d need paperwork”
emma leaned closer
“did they have any”
mrs ramos shook her head
“just attitude”
she lowered her voice
“julie i didn’t like the way she talked about your father she said he wouldn’t need the apartment much longer”
my skin went cold
“what else did she say”
mrs ramos hesitated
“she asked if there was a spare key in the office”
emma let out a sharp breath
“did you give it”