Part 2
I told him to leave the room.
“You don’t order my son around!”
“He destroyed something that belonged to me.”
“He made a mistake.”
“No. He made a point.”
Richard’s face reddened.
“You’re grounded until you apologize to my son!”
I calmly set the broken glass on the table.
Richard took my calmness for surrender.
That was his first mistake.
Because his family had forgotten something important.
Richard didn’t own the house.
He didn’t own the vacation property either.
And almost sixty percent of the capital keeping his company afloat came from a trust entirely under my control.
I went upstairs and locked the bedroom door.
Then I called our family attorney.
“Martin,” I said quietly, “I need you to activate the separation documents.”
Then asked, “Are you certain?”
I looked toward the suitcase beneath my bed.
By midnight, I was gone.
The next morning, Tyler came downstairs expecting me to apologize.
Instead, Richard was alone making coffee.
Tyler opened the refrigerator.
“Finally learned her place, huh?”
It lasted about thirty seconds.
Then he went upstairs.
My closet was empty.
So was my jewelry case.
Even the framed picture of my parents had vanished from the nightstand.
Then the front door opened downstairs.
Martin Hayes, our family attorney, hurried inside carrying a leather folder.
Richard came downstairs.
Martin stared first at him, then Tyler, then back at Richard.
His face had turned pale.
“What are you talking about?”
“She’s throwing a tantrum.”
Martin briefly closed his eyes.
Richard’s tone hardened.
“What do you mean, no?”
Martin opened the folder.
“Seven years ago, before your marriage, Helen purchased this property through her family trust.”
Tyler stopped eating.
Richard stared at Martin.
“I know she helped with the house.”
“No,” Martin said. “She owns the house.”
Richard opened his mouth.
“On occupancy and insurance documents. Not the deed.”
Tyler stepped closer.
Martin removed another document.
“This is a notice terminating permission for Tyler to reside here.”
