Chapter 5
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
His tone was light.
It almost sounded like he cared.
I didn't say a word.
My daughter spoke up first.
"Dad, why are you here?" she asked.
He didn't look at her.
He came over and sat down next to me, pulling up a chair.
"I heard there was some paperwork going on here, so I thought I'd stop by and see what's up," he said.
As he spoke, he turned to the community worker.
"She's old now, doesn't really get how all this works, so I'm here to help her," he added.
The community worker nodded and said, "No problem, but the registration's already finished.
"The house is in her name, so she'll handle the rest herself."
He just went, "Oh."
His tone stayed the same.
But I saw his fingers tap the table, quiet and deliberate.
He tapped the table lightly.
But I could tell he was scheming and quick to catch on.
"That's good," he said.
"We put this house together back then."
He said it so casually, like he was just talking about any old thing.
But as I listened, my heart tightened up.
My daughter stood nearby, looking pretty uncomfortable.
She glanced at me, then at him.
For the first time, she seemed to realize something wasn't right.
He turned back to me.
His voice went all gentle.
He said, "It's not really convenient for you to live there all by yourself.
"How about coming back home?
"I'll handle everything here for you."
It was word-for-word what my daughter just said.
I suddenly felt a coldness in my heart.
They hadn't planned this together.
But somehow, they ended up saying the exact same thing.
I looked at him and didn't say a word.
He thought I was hesitating.
He quickly added, "Look, you don't have to worry about anything. The money, the house, none of that will be taken away from you.
"We're family, after all."
He said it in a firm, confident tone. It was as if he was trying to reassure me.
My daughter turned to look at me as well.
She said, "Mom, why don't you come with me?"
They were standing to my left and right, almost hemming me in.
Both of them were just waiting for me to say yes.
The room was dead silent.
I could hear the sound of my own breathing.
Each breath came slow.
Last night came to mind.
The floor was littered with shattered bowls.
I remembered how I picked up the fragments, piece by piece.
Then I remembered the paper by the door, and the name written on that form a moment ago: Lena Reed.
It was as if, throughout my whole life, nothing ever truly belonged to me.
And now, after all this time, when I finally had something of my own, they all showed up.
I looked down.
My hands shook a little.
Then, I said quietly, "I'm not going back."
After I said that, everyone in the room was stunned.
His smile faltered for just a moment.
But I saw it.
The warmth in his eyes disappeared instantly.
His gaze became icy.
"What did you just say?" he demanded.
His voice lowered, cold and tense.
I looked up at him.
This time, I didn't flinch.
"I said," I spoke, word by word, "I'm not going back."
The tension in the room spiked all at once.
My daughter instinctively took a step back.
He locked his gaze on me.
His eyes didn't leave me for a long moment.
Then, a slow, deliberate smile crept onto his face.
But this time, that smile wasn't warm at all.
"Fine," he said, "this is your choice."
He stood up and smoothed out his clothes, like nothing had ever happened.
"Suit yourself, then," he said.
With that, he turned and walked away.
I thought he was just going to leave.
But when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped.
He didn't turn around and just said, "Lena.
"You won't get this house."
With that, he walked out.
His footsteps faded into the distance.
The silence in the room got even heavier.
I stood there, rooted to the spot.
My heart just kept sinking.
I knew the words he just said weren't meant to scare me.
He was already taking action.
His words kept echoing in my mind.
"You're not getting this house."
When I walked out of the community, my legs felt like jelly.
My daughter was right next to me the whole way, silent the entire time.
When we got to the mouth of the alley, she finally spoke, "Mom."
I didn't answer.
"Why didn't you go with him just now?" she asked.
I paused and didn't answer.
She was clearly getting anxious.
"Do you even realize he might really mean what he said?" she pressed.
I looked at her.
Her gaze was steady and serious.