Chapter 6
I came home and gently closed the door.
There was a faint smell of medicine and food in the air.
I warmed up dinner in the pot and walked into the bedroom.
Frank was sleeping deeply, his breathing steady. There was finally a little color in his pale face.
I sat on the edge of the bed and quietly watched him.
This is my husband, the man who has weathered the storms of life with me for most of our lives.
For him, I would do anything.
And because of him, I must become unbreakable.
I can no longer be weak, allowing our daughter to drain us of every last drop, only to discard us like a rag once we have nothing left to give.
I reached out and gently pulled the blanket up over his shoulders.
Right then, there was a loud knocking at the door. "Bang. Bang. Bang."
Each knock felt like it struck my heart.
I froze, glancing at Frank.
He had woken up, his brow furrowed, and he stirred uneasily.
"Who is it?" Frank asked, his voice hoarse.
"No one, probably a neighbor. Go back to sleep." I tried to reassure him.
I comforted him and then stood up, walking out of the bedroom.
I didn't go to the door. Instead, I looked through the peephole.
Standing outside were Emily Grant and David Johnson.
Emily's face was full of anxiety and anger, her makeup a little smeared.
David had a grim expression, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity, as though he wanted to tear the door apart.
The knocking continued, growing more frantic and louder.
"Open the door. Linda Lee! I know you're in there. Open the door."Emily's voice was shrill and harsh, completely disregarding that we lived in an apartment building.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.
I didn't open the door.
Instead, I simply spoke through it, in an extremely calm tone.
"You're not welcome here," I said.
My voice wasn't loud, but it had a powerful resonance.
The pounding and shouting outside stopped instantly.
Emily seemed to be in disbelief. "Mom? What did you say?"
"I said, you're not welcome here. Please leave, "I repeated every word slowly, deliberately.
There was a deadly silence outside.
A few seconds later, David's furious voice exploded. "Linda Lee! Don't be so shameless.
"What gives you the right to cut off our mortgage payments? That apartment belongs to Emily. Who do you think you are?
"If you don't explain yourself and restore the payments today, we're not going anywhere."
His voice was loud, full of threats.
I leaned against the door, my face expressionless. "We paid the down payment on that apartment. We've been paying the monthly mortgage.
"What have you two ever contributed, besides your names?
"Now, we have no money, we can't pay it anymore.
"It's only fair that whoever's name is on the mortgage should pay for it."
My words poured fuel on the fire, infuriating them completely.
"That's bullshit." Emily's voice turned shrill again. "You promised the house was for me. Paying for it is your duty.
"You're trying to go back on your word? You want to take the house back?
"I'm telling you. No way."
I almost found it laughable.
My duty?
In her world, it was only right for her parents to give her everything.
And it was also only right for her to be cold and demanding toward them.
From the bedroom came Frank's coughing.
He must have been woken up by the noise.
My heart tightened.
I couldn't let them keep making a scene.
"I'll say this one last time: leave." My voice turned cold. "Otherwise, I'll call the police and report you for trespassing and harassing a sick person."
"You dare." David shouted.
"You can try." I took out my phone, pretending to dial 911.
Outside, David's curses and Emily's cries mixed together.
"Mom. How could you do this to me? I'm your own daughter." Emily cried.
"My dad is seriously ill, and you won't let me see him, and now you stopped my mortgage. Are you trying to kill me?" She started to play the victim, her voice breaking with desperation.
Unfortunately, her tears no longer had the power to make me feel sorry for her.
My heart had died on that night with ninety-nine missed calls.
At that instant, the bedroom door opened.
Frank stood there, leaning against the frame, his face pale.
He had clearly heard the argument.
"Linda." He looked at me with confusion and concern in his eyes."Is that Emily outside?" Frank asked.