Chapter 3
“What did she mean?”
My voice barely sounded like mine.
Ryan looked at Diane.
Diane looked at the phone in Noah’s hand.
“Noah misunderstood.”
My son immediately shook his head.
“I didn’t.”
Diane snapped.
“You were eavesdropping.”
“He is nine.”
I stepped closer.
“He heard his grandmother talking about getting rid of his mother.”
“I never said that.”
Noah’s face crumpled.
“Yes, you did.”
Ryan turned toward him.
“What exactly did Grandma say?”
Noah looked afraid.
I squeezed his shoulder.
“You’re not in trouble.”
He nodded.
“I came downstairs because I wanted water.”
“When?”
“Last night.”
Ryan frowned.
“You were supposed to be asleep.”
I shot him a look.
He immediately closed his mouth.
Noah continued.
“Grandma was in the kitchen.”
“With Dad?”
“No.”
He held up the old phone.
“She was talking to Dad.”
Ryan stared.
“That isn’t possible.”
Diane suddenly looked nervous.
I noticed.
“So who was she talking to?”
Noah’s bottom lip trembled.
“She said your name.”
I looked at Ryan.
“What did you hear?”
Noah swallowed.
“She said, ‘Ryan won’t fight me about the dog.’”
Ryan’s face tightened.
“And?”
“She said, ‘Once Buddy is gone, Emily won’t have anyone taking her side except Noah.’”
My skin prickled.
Diane scoffed.
“That makes no sense.”
Noah continued.
“Then she said, ‘She’ll leave eventually.’”
Ryan looked at his mother.
“Did you say that?”
“No.”
“Mom.”
“No.”
Noah unlocked the old phone.
“I recorded it.”
Diane lunged.
Ryan caught her arm before she could reach Noah.
“Stop!”
The shout echoed through the house.
Everyone froze.
Ryan released his mother.
Diane stared at him.
“You grabbed me.”
“You tried to grab my son.”
“He stole my phone.”
“You were reaching for him.”
“I wanted my property.”
Ryan’s voice lowered.
“Stay away from him.”
The change in him was sudden.
Too late.
But real.
Diane’s face twisted.
“After everything I have done for you?”
“Not now.”
“No.”
She pointed at me.
“You let that woman walk in and turn you against your own mother?”
I almost laughed.
“That woman?”
Ryan closed his eyes.
“Mom.”
“I gave birth to you.”
“And Noah is my son.”
Silence.
Diane stared at him.
Something changed in her expression.
Not sadness.
Rage.
Quiet rage.
That scared me more.
Noah handed me the phone.
“Mom, play it.”
I looked at Ryan.
He nodded.
I opened the voice recorder.
There was a file from the previous night.
Almost four minutes.
I pressed play.
At first, there was only kitchen noise.
A cabinet closing.
Water running.
Then Diane’s voice.
“She still doesn’t understand how unstable everything is.”
I looked at Ryan.
He shook his head.
“That isn’t me.”
The voice on the other end was too faint to hear.
Diane continued.
“Ryan will do whatever keeps the peace.”
Ryan went completely still.
That sentence was true.
Too true.
The recording continued.
“He already agreed about the dog.”
A pause.
“Once Buddy is gone, Emily won’t have anyone taking her side except Noah.”
My stomach tightened.
Another pause.
Then the words Noah had mentioned.
“She’ll leave eventually.”
Silence.
“When she does, Ryan will keep the house.”
I stopped breathing.
Ryan stared at his mother.
“What?”
Diane said nothing.
I pressed play again.
The recording continued.
“She thinks because her name is on the mortgage she has leverage.”
My heart pounded.
“But the loan balance is still high.”
Pause.
“If Ryan times it correctly, she’ll walk away with almost nothing.”
I looked at my husband.
His mouth fell open.
“I have never talked to her about that.”
I believed him.
The voice on the other end remained too quiet.
Then Diane said something that made my hands go cold.
“And Noah will stay where he belongs.”
I stopped the recording.
Ryan whispered, “Mom.”
Diane crossed her arms.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Who were you talking to?”
“No one.”
“We heard you.”
“A friend.”
“What friend?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters.”
She laughed.
“You think this is evidence of something?”
I stepped forward.
“It sounds like you were planning my divorce.”
“I was talking hypothetically.”
“And custody of my son.”
“I was protecting Ryan.”
Ryan stared at her.
“From what?”
She looked at me.
“From her.”
My chest tightened.
“There it is.”
Ryan moved in front of me.
“Mom, stop.”
“No.”
She pointed at me.
“She controls this family.”
I laughed.
“I didn’t know you were permanently living here.”
“You always make Ryan ask permission.”
“He is my husband.”
“You force him to report everything.”
“Talking to your spouse is not reporting.”
“You monitor the money.”
“We have joint finances.”
“You made him get rid of his motorcycle.”
Ryan interrupted.
“I sold the motorcycle because Noah needed braces.”
Diane stared at him.
“You used to have a life.”
“I still have a life.”
“No.”
Her voice cracked.
“You have responsibilities.”
Ryan looked stunned.
I realized something.
Diane did not only resent me.
She resented adulthood itself.
Anything that made Ryan less available to her.
Wife.
Child.
Dog.
Mortgage.
All of it.
“You want him dependent on you,” I said.
Diane laughed.
“Don't psychoanalyze me.”
“You moved into our house and within three weeks started removing things you didn't like.”
“Buddy is an animal.”
“Noah is not.”
“I never said he was.”
“You threatened food.”
“He needs discipline.”
Ryan turned sharply.
“Did you?”
She looked at him.
“What?”
“Did you tell Noah he wouldn’t get dinner if he brought Buddy inside?”
Her eyes shifted.
That was enough.
Ryan’s face collapsed.
“Mom.”
“He needed to understand.”
“You threatened my son.”
“I wasn't going to starve him.”
“That isn't the point.”
“He skips meals when he gets angry anyway.”
Ryan’s voice rose.
“Stop.”
Diane went quiet.
He looked like someone seeing his mother from a distance for the first time.
“I trusted you with him.”
Her expression softened immediately.
“Ryan.”
“No.”
“I love Noah.”
“Then why was he crying outside when Emily came home?”
“He was being dramatic.”
My son flinched.
Ryan saw it.
His face hardened.
“Don't call him that.”
Diane looked offended.
“Excuse me?”
“You hear him telling us he was scared.”
“He's a child.”
“Exactly.”
Ryan moved toward Noah.
He crouched.
“I’m sorry.”
Noah looked away.
Ryan’s eyes filled.
“Buddy isn’t going anywhere.”
Noah finally looked at him.
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
I said quietly, “Don't promise things you haven’t made possible yet.”
Ryan looked at me.
I nodded toward Diane.
“She still thinks she lives here.”
Diane laughed.
“I do live here.”
Ryan stood.
“Not after tonight.”
Everyone froze.
Diane stared at him.
“What?”
“You need to find somewhere else.”
Her face emptied.
“No.”
“Mom.”
“No.”
“This is my home.”
“No.”
She slapped her hand against the table.
“You promised me.”
“I made that promise without talking to Emily.”
“You knew she would say no.”
“I know.”
“Then you knew I needed you.”
“I can help you find an apartment.”
“I sold mine because of you.”
“You wanted to sell it.”
“Because you said I could stay.”
“I made a mistake.”
She looked at me.
Then him.
“You're throwing me into the street because of a dog.”
“No.”
Ryan’s voice shook.
“I’m asking you to leave because you threatened my child and planned to push my wife out of her own home.”
Diane laughed bitterly.
“Planned?”
“You were talking to someone about my divorce.”
“I was worried.”
“Who was on the phone?”
Silence.
“Who?”
She refused to answer.
Ryan reached for the phone in my hand.
I gave it to him.
He looked through the call history.
Nothing.
No recent calls.
“It was wiped.”
I said.
He looked at his mother.
Diane smiled faintly.
“You have no idea what you're doing.”
“What does that mean?”
She grabbed her purse.
“You think Emily is the one you should trust?”
Ryan looked exhausted.
“Yes.”
That answer surprised even me.
Diane’s expression changed.
Then she laughed.
“Ask her.”
“Ask her what?”
“Ask your wife where the fifteen thousand dollars went.”
My stomach dropped.
Ryan looked at me.
“What?”
I stared at Diane.
How did she know?
She smiled.
For the first time all evening, she looked in control again.
Ryan turned toward me.
“Emily?”
I closed my eyes.
I had wanted to tell him.
For months.
But every time I tried, something happened.
Work.
Noah.
My father’s estate.
Then Diane moved in.
Now my own secret was standing in the middle of the room.
“What fifteen thousand?”
Ryan asked.
I swallowed.
“Money Dad left me.”
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
“That’s yours.”
“It was.”
“What do you mean?”
“I spent it.”
“Okay.”
He frowned.
“On what?”
I looked at Noah.
Then at Buddy.
This was not how I wanted Ryan to learn.
“Emily?”
“I paid a lawyer.”
Diane smiled.
Ryan stared at me.
“A lawyer?”
“Yes.”
“For what?”
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
“For custody advice.”
The room went completely silent.
Ryan looked like I had struck him.
“You talked to a divorce lawyer?”
“No.”
“A family lawyer.”
“About taking Noah from me?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
I looked at Diane.
“Because six months ago your mother told me something that scared me.”
Ryan slowly turned toward her.
“What did you tell her?”
Diane said nothing.
I continued.
“She said if anything ever happened between us, she knew how to make sure Noah stayed with you.”
Ryan stared.
“She said she had friends who could prove I worked too much to be a proper mother.”
His face went white.
“That was before she moved in?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I tried.”
“When?”
“The night of your company dinner.”
He remembered.
His face changed.
“You said Mom had made another comment.”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t say this.”
“You told me I was reading too much into her words before I could finish.”
His mouth closed.
I remembered that night perfectly.
Ryan loosened his tie.
Rolled his eyes.
Said, Mom worries.
Then went upstairs.
I called an attorney the next morning.
“I didn't plan to leave you,” I said.
Ryan looked at me.
“I wanted to know my rights.”
“You spent fifteen thousand dollars?”
“Not all on consultation.”
“What else?”
I took a breath.
“I hired a private financial review.”
His eyes widened.
“Of me?”
“Of our accounts.”
“Why?”
“Because Diane knew things about our mortgage I had never discussed with her.”
Ryan looked confused.
“What things?”
“Balance.”
“Interest rate.”
“Refinance options.”
His brow furrowed.
“I told her some of that.”
“I know.”
“But she also knew about the home equity line we never opened.”
Ryan stopped.
“We never opened one.”
“Exactly.”
Diane looked suddenly uneasy.
I noticed.
“So I had someone check the property records.”
Ryan stared at me.
“And?”
“There is a home equity line.”
His face went blank.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I never signed one.”
“I know.”
“How much?”
“Seventy-five thousand dollars.”
His mouth fell open.
“Outstanding?”
“Forty-eight thousand.”
Ryan turned slowly toward his mother.
Diane was no longer smiling.
“Mom?”
She picked up her purse.
“I’m leaving.”
Ryan moved in front of the door.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“Get out of my way.”
“Did you borrow money against my house?”
She stared at him.
“It is not your house.”
My heart stopped.
Ryan whispered, “What?”
Diane’s expression changed.
She realized she had said too much.
I stepped closer.
“What do you mean?”
Nobody moved.
Then Diane looked at me.
“You think you're so smart because you hired a lawyer?”
She laughed.
“Your financial review missed the only thing that matters.”
Ryan’s face tightened.
“What?”
May you like
Diane looked straight at her son.
“The house isn't yours.”
