Chapter 3

The living room was dead silent.

Richard, David, and Emily were all frozen in place, staring at me like they'd been turned to stone.

Their faces went from shock, to confusion, and finally twisted into something absurd.

Richard was the first to snap out of it.

He burst out laughing, like he'd just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Helen, are you out of your mind?" He jabbed a finger at me. "Housekeeper's wages? Emotional damages? Go ask anybody out there. Who the hell puts a price on family!"

"What happens in other families has nothing to do with us," I said calmly. "Other couples are legally married. I've been your unpaid help for 32 years, and only because you lied to me."

"I tricked you? Seriously?" Richard's face flushed with anger. "You were the one who insisted on coming to the city with me!"

"I wanted to be your wife, not your free housekeeper," I shot back.

My calm attitude completely set him off.

He slammed his hand on the table, jumped to his feet, and jabbed a finger at the door. "Get the hell out of here. I want to see where you end up without this family."

He thought I'd just back down and keep quiet like always, scared into silence by his yelling.

But he was dead wrong.

"Fine." I nodded, and headed straight for the bedroom.

I'd been ready for this for a long time.

I had a suitcase containing a few old clothes and all my identification documents.

In full view of them, I dragged my suitcase out.

Richard was totally stunned.

He never thought I'd actually do it.

David jumped up, blocking my way. "Mom, what are you doing? Can't we just talk? Don't make a fuss, alright?"

"I'm not making a fuss," I said, looking at David, the son I had given everything to. "I only want to take back what's mine."

"What do you mean, what's yours? This whole family is yours!" David said, his face flushed with worry, clearly upset.

"No," I shook my head, pointing at the record. "Legally, nothing here belongs to me. Not the house, not the savings."

I turned to Richard. "I've never touched your savings account, have I? Every month you hand me seven hundred dollars for the household, and when that isn't enough I have to find a way to cover the rest myself."

Richard's face darkened.

That was the truth.

He made good money and kept all of it in his own hands, and every month he threw me a little for expenses the way a man throws change at a beggar.

"Helen, weren't you just fine before? Why are you suddenly so hung up on all this money stuff?" Emily finally spoke up, her tone guarded and confused.

She locked her eyes on the gold bracelet on my wrist, her gaze practically dripping with poison.

"Because I used to be clueless, but now I know better," I said, yanking my suitcase and making straight for the door.

"Don't you dare leave!" Richard lunged at me, grabbed my suitcase, and threw it down. "Helen, I'm warning you. If you walk out that door today, don't even think about coming back."

"I never planned to come back anyway," I shot back.

I sidestepped him and headed straight for the door.

He panicked and lunged, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"You can't leave! Helen, what are we supposed to do if you go? Who's going to cook? Who's going to do the laundry?" he pleaded desperately.

He finally let slip what was really on his mind.

He wasn't afraid of losing me as a person. He was afraid of losing the free maid who took care of him, David and Emily.

I laughed so hard, tears were about to spill out.

"You can hire a nanny," I said, struggling to pry his hand off me. His grip was like a steel clamp, making my wrist ache.

"You think a nanny's free?!" David blurted out from the side.

He realized what he'd said the moment it left his mouth, but it was already too late.

Emily gave him a death stare.

I looked at them, feeling like these 32 years had just been a never-ending, absurd nightmare.

"I'll say it one more time. Let go," I said, my voice turning cold.

"No way. You're my wife, you can't just leave," Richard was still throwing a tantrum.

"I'm not," I said, locking eyes with him, every word crystal clear. "The county record says it. Helen Carter. Single."

That line was like a knife, hitting him right where it hurt.

He loosened up instantly.

I slipped out of his grasp, yanked the door open, and walked out without looking back.

Behind me, Emily's shrill voice rang out. "This is outrageous. This is absolutely outrageous!"

Then Richard exploded in rage, his furious, desperate shout echoing behind me.

I didn't look back.

The moment I closed the door, I left all the humiliation and bitterness of the past 32 years behind me.

I called a cab and headed straight to a five-star hotel.

I booked the best suite they had.

Standing by the huge floor-to-ceiling window, watching the endless stream of cars and people below, I finally understood what freedom really felt like.

My phone rang.

It was David calling.

I didn't answer.

He kept blowing up my phone.

I turned my phone off without a second thought.

After a hot shower, I slipped into a bathrobe and poured myself a glass of red wine.

Lying on the soft, king-sized bed, I felt like I'd been given a whole new life.

The next day, I reached out to the lawyer whose business card I'd gotten the day before.

Jessica Grant was a sharp, capable woman in her forties.

After I finished my story, Jessica listened with sympathy, but her tone was all professional.

"Ms. Carter, rest assured. Even though you two never officially married, you lived together as partners.

"By law, you have the right to split any shared assets accumulated over those years. And after 32 years of giving your all to this family, you absolutely deserve compensation for your contribution.

"We'll fight to get you the maximum you're entitled to," she promised.

"Money isn't what matters most," I said, meeting Jessica's eyes. "What I really want is what's fair."

"I understand," Jessica nodded. "He isn't getting away with this. We'll make sure he pays."

Walking out of Jessica's office, I finally started thinking about what I wanted, and for the first time I began planning a future that was mine.

First I rented a nice two-bedroom apartment, and it was beautifully furnished.

I finally enrolled in driving school. I'd always wanted to learn, but Richard always used to say, "Women don't need to drive."

Now, I could finally do whatever I wanted.

When I turned my phone back on, there were dozens of missed calls, all from David and Richard.

And a ton of texts.

Richard's texts started with angry rants, then turned into threats, and finally, he was practically begging.

Richard: [Helen, please come back. We can go get the marriage license. Whatever you want, I'll do it.]

Richard: [Don't do this. Come home and let's start over.]

David's texts were all just trying to convince me to come home.

David: [Mom, please don't be mad. Dad lost his head for a minute.]

David: [Mom, where are you? Please come home. The house is a mess, and there's nobody to cook.]

I saw that line about "nobody to cook" and let out a cold laugh, then deleted every single message.

Too late now.

When I needed them most, they pushed me away.

Now I didn't need any of them.

The next few days were packed with things I'd always wanted to do.

I was learning to drive, working out, shopping, and getting pampered at the salon.

I was finally making up for everything I'd denied myself all these years.

It wasn't until Jessica called that everything shifted.

"Ms. Carter, the court summons has been served. The other side wants to try mediation before the trial. What do you say?" she asked.

"Alright," I replied. "I'm actually interested to hear what they have to say."

On the day of the mediation, I went out of my way to dress up for the occasion.

I put on a brand-new business suit, did my makeup just right, and radiated confidence.

When I walked into the mediation room, the three of them stared at me, completely stunned.

Richard looked at me, his expression a mix of shock, regret, and a flicker of greed he tried to hide.

David kept his head down, didn't dare look at me.

Emily's eyes burned with jealousy as she stared at my clothes and jewelry, like she was about to explode.

"Helen..." Richard spoke first, his voice dry and rough. "Have you been doing all right?"

"I've been pretty good," I said flatly, keeping my tone distant.

"That's good, that's good," Richard said, rubbing his hands awkwardly. "Helen, look, we've been together for 32 years. There's no need to drag this into court and air our dirty laundry for everyone to see."

"I don't see it as a spectacle," I replied. "I'm just fighting for my rights."

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have refused to get the marriage license with you," Richard said, rushing to admit it. "We can go tomorrow, or even this afternoon. Just drop the lawsuit first."

I looked at his desperate face and laughed coldly right at him.

"Richard, do you really think that just because you say the word, I'll come crawling back, acting like I owe you everything, and keep working myself to the bone for you?"

His expression froze.

"I..." Richard stammered.

"Let me be clear. That is never happening," I said, my smile gone as I gave him a cold look. "You should have given me that certificate 32 years ago. Now I don't want it."

The way I stood my ground threw all of them off, and every one of them started to panic.

The mediator, going through the motions, said, "If either side has any demands, now's the time to bring them up."

Jessica handed over a list.

"These are our client's demands. We're asking Mr. Evans to pay 320 thousand dollars in compensation for 32 years of labor, plus 170 thousand dollars for emotional distress and the loss of her youth. That comes to 490 thousand dollars."

"What?!" Emily was the first to scream, her voice cracking. "About 500 thousand dollars? Why don't you just rob a bank?"

Richard's lips quivered, but he was completely speechless.

He made under three thousand dollars a month, and 490 thousand dollars would have finished him.

"No way! I don't have that kind of money!" he shouted.

"Whether you have the money or not, the judge will find out," Jessica said calmly. "From what we know, Mr. Evans has two properties in his name, plus at least 170 thousand dollars in savings and investments."

Richard was dumbfounded.

He never expected I'd have every last detail about his assets nailed down.

"Helen, you're ruthless!" Richard shouted, pointing at me, his eyes bloodshot.

"You brought this on yourself," I said, locking eyes with him, and nothing in me moved at all.

The mediation ended with everyone leaving in a huff.

As I walked out of the courthouse, David hurried after me.

"Mom!" David grabbed my arm, his eyes red and brimming with tears. "Are you really going to turn your back on us like this? That's my father. Are you trying to push him over the edge?"

I pulled my arm free from his grip.

"And where was all this action when your dad tossed me aside, when you said I was just causing trouble, and when your wife acted like I was up to no good?" I shot back.

Seeing him standing there, speechless, my heart sank with sadness.

"David, remember this. You all chose your own path. From now on we're done, and the two of us owe each other nothing," I said, my voice flat and cold.

With that, I turned and walked away.

Behind me, David slumped down to the floor, all the fight gone from him.

I knew I'd won this battle.

But there wasn't much joy in my heart.

All I felt was a long-overdue sense of relief, finally able to breathe easy after all these years.