Chapter 1

I didn't even know the old house had been signed over until the County Recorder's Office called me.

The new owner was Charlotte Lane. The woman my husband, Edward Shaw, never got over.

I was clutching my phone, heading to find Edward, when I heard his voice coming from the study.

He said, "The paperwork's done. Once the district residency investigator finishes their home visit, Leo will be able to enroll without any issues.

"I'll handle Lucia."

I froze in the doorway.

That old house was the last thing my parents left me before they died in a car accident.

It was also the only place my grandma still knew after she got Alzheimer's.

Then Edward's voice came again. "I'll arrange for someone to take her grandma away.

"She's so confused now. Does it really matter where she stays?

"We can't let the kid's school enrollment get delayed."

That was when it hit me. In Edward's eyes, other people's kids had a future, and his first love had a safety net.

But me and my grandma? We were just collateral damage.

*****

I pushed open the study door. "What gives you the right to take the house my parents left me?"

Edward's hand froze on his phone, and he looked at me with a frown. "Since when did you start eavesdropping?"

He murmured into the phone, "I'll call you back later." Then he set it face down on the desk.

I stared straight at him. "Who gave you the right to hand over the old house to Charlotte?"

"It's just for now," he said, tugging at his tie, sounding impatient. "As soon as Leo gets into school, I'll give it back.

"You have no clue how tough it is for Charlotte, being a single mom and raising Leo all by herself."

"So just because she's struggling, you think it's okay to steal my house and use it to do her a favor?

"It's the only thing my parents left me."

Edward's face went stiff for a second.

I pressed on, "You used the power of attorney I signed six months ago when I asked you to handle the paperwork, didn't you?"

He went right back to acting all high and mighty. "Lucia, do you always have to twist things like that?

"No one is using the old house, anyway. It's not like you're losing anything by letting Charlotte have her name on it for a while.

"Why do you always have to be so selfish?"

I looked at the man I'd shared a bed with for five years, and my heart went cold.

"My grandma still lives there," I said, my voice trembling with anger.

Edward looked away, his voice flat, without a hint of emotion. "I know. That's why I've already arranged for a care center.

"She might not even recognize you anymore. So what difference does it make where she stays?

"Are you seriously going to throw away a six-year-old's future for an old woman who's not all there anymore?"

I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms. "She may not remember me, but that house is the one thing she still knows.

"Every day, she sits in the living room, folding clothes in front of my parents' photos. That's her only sense of security.

"If you send her away, you're basically killing her."

Edward let out a cold laugh. "Stop trying to guilt-trip me with that. I've already made up my mind. Throwing a fit won't change anything."

He turned to leave.

I pulled open the bottom drawer of the desk, took out a brown paper bag, and pushed the document inside right in front of him.

Edward glanced at it, his face instantly darkening. "Divorce agreement? Lucia, are you out of your mind?

"You're really going to divorce me just because I lent out the house for a bit?"

I looked up at him. "It's not lending. It's stealing.

"You stole my house and gave it away to another woman, so she could have an easier life.

"I've already signed the agreement."

Edward snatched up the agreement and slammed it back down on the desk. "I'm not signing this. You're not thinking straight right now. We'll talk when you've calmed down."

He walked to the door, paused with his hand on the doorknob, and said, "Charlotte and Leo are moving in tomorrow for a few days, just for the home visit check.

"You better not mess things up."

*****

Early the next morning, I showed up at the old house and found the door left ajar.

Before I even stepped inside, I heard Leo whining, "Mom, this place is so small and run-down. I don't want to sleep here."

Charlotte soothed him gently, "Just stay here for two weeks, Leo. Once the investigator finishes the inspection, Mommy will take you to live in the big villa."

I pushed the door open.

The living room was packed with cardboard boxes, and the movers were carrying a brand-new kids' desk into my grandma's room.

My grandma was curled up in the corner of the old sofa, clutching a framed photo of my parents, her eyes hollow as she watched strangers moving in and out.

She kept mumbling, "Going home... Going home..."

I rushed over and blocked the doorway. "Get this stuff out of here."

Charlotte turned around, her eyes immediately welling up with tears.

"Lucia, didn't Edward mention it to you? The investigator is coming tomorrow to check, so we have to make it look like we've been staying here long-term," she said.

She pointed at my grandma's old wooden bed. "There's nowhere else to put Leo's desk, so let's just move the bed out to the hallway. Your grandma is leaving this afternoon anyway."

I glanced at the luxury watch on her wrist.

So this was the 'struggling single mom' Edward was always raving about.

"I'll say it one more time. Get out," I said coldly.

The movers stopped in their tracks.

Charlotte's tears fell instantly. "I know you're upset, but Leo really can't afford to miss out on this enrollment slot.

"He's never had a dad. I can't let him lose out from the very beginning.

"Just have a little compassion for us, please. Show some mercy to me and my son."

Anyone who didn't know better would think I was the one stealing her house.