Chapter 3

I walked over and opened the door.

Two security guards stood at the entrance, with the butler behind them, holding a registration book.

I stepped aside.

I said, "Please come in. There's someone in my house with no lease, no permission from the owner, and she's trying to force my mom out of my own home. I need her gone now."

Harry charged over and planted himself in front of Tiana, shielding her.

He snapped, "Don't you dare lay a finger on her!"

I watched him block everyone for her, and that chill in my chest finally froze solid.

I said, "Harry, move, or go with her."

Harry didn't budge. He stood in front of Tiana, shoulders tense, his eyes hard in a way I'd never seen before.

Harry said, "Irene, Tiana's not going anywhere today."

The butler glanced at me, then at Harry, and lowered his voice. "Ms. Hill, is he your husband?"

I nodded. "For now."

Harry's face darkened. "Are you threatening me with divorce?"

I ignored him, turned around, and went into the study to grab a duffel bag.

Harry bought it for Tiana on her third day here. It was a pink bag he'd left behind the guest room door.

I tossed the bag at her feet.

"Ten minutes. Pack your stuff," I said.

Tiana was crying so hard that her shoulders were shaking.

"Harry, I have nowhere to go," she said.

Harry turned to me. "She's a girl. What if something happens to her out there at night?"

I replied, "Hotels aren't going to fall, and the police station's open."

"Do you really have to be this heartless?" Harry shot back.

I stared him down. "My mom had to take her medicine out in the hallway at midnight because Tiana complained about the smell.

"She gave up her bedroom and moved to the storage room so Tiana could have more sunlight. Now she's trying to throw my mom out, and you say I'm the heartless one?"

I walked over to the dining table and picked up the bowl of soup. It was still steaming hot, the heat burning my palm.

My mom called out anxiously, "Irene, be careful, it's hot!"

I set the bowl down in front of Tiana.

I said, "You've been here for half a month, and every morning at five, my mom gets up to make you soup. She even goes easy on the salt because she's worried about your stomach.

"You'd tell her how good her cooking is, and then you made her take her medicine out in the hallway."

Tiana's lips trembled. "I never asked her to make soup for me."

"Yeah, you kept holding your stomach and saying the takeout was too greasy," I shot back.

I set the bowl back down on the table, the ceramic clinking loudly.

The security guards were stuck awkwardly at the door, not knowing if they should step in or back out.

Harry took a deep breath, his tone softening a bit. "Irene, can we talk alone for a sec? Tiana can move out, but not right now. Give her two more days."

Tiana looked up sharply. "Harry!"

Harry patted the back of her hand.

I saw that and couldn't help but scoff. "Two days? Did she ever give my mom two days?"

Harry gritted his teeth. "Don't be so stubborn."

"I'm talking about who owns this place, who has the right to live here, and my mom's health. And you call that being stubborn?" I retorted.

I picked up my phone and dialed another number.

This time, it was Fraser Norton, my company lawyer.

When the call connected, I put it on speakerphone.

I asked, "Fraser, someone is staying at my place who's not family. No lease, no permission. I've told her to leave, but she won't go, and it's disrupting my mom's medication and sleep. What should I do?"

The sound of Fraser's keyboard stopped.

He said, "Ms. Hill, first, save any surveillance footage, chat logs, and property records. Give her a verbal warning with a deadline to move out. If she refuses, you can call the police or send a lawyer's letter.

"If her actions are affecting your mom's health, take your mom to the hospital for a check-up and keep the medical records."

I fixed my gaze on Harry. "Did you catch that?"

Harry's face turned grim.

Suddenly, Tiana crouched down, clutching her chest and gasping for air.

"I can't breathe, Harry. I feel so awful," she said.

Harry rushed over and bent down to help her.

My mom jumped up without thinking.

Even after everything she'd suffered, her first reaction was still to help someone else.

I stopped her. "Mom, don't go over there."

Harry yelled at me, "She's having an attack!"

I grabbed my phone and said, "Then I'll call 911."

Tiana's gasping stopped for a second.

Harry said, "No need. I'll take her to the hospital."

"Fine." I pointed at the door. "You take her. Now."

He scooped Tiana up in his arms.

Her face was buried against his shoulder, but as they passed me, she peeked at me through barely opened eyes.

She didn't look weak at all, just full of resentment she couldn't hide.

I saw it. And she knew I saw it.

Just before the elevator doors closed, Harry turned back to look at me.

"Irene, you've gone too far today. When I get back, we need to talk," he said.

I stood inside the door and said, "Don't bother coming back."

The elevator doors slid shut.

The silence in the hallway was almost suffocating.

My mom couldn't hold it together anymore. She sank into her chair, covered her face, and tried to muffle her sobs.

"Irene, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," she choked out.

I crouched down in front of her and gently pulled her hands away from her face.

Her palms were covered in nail marks, with some spots where the skin had been broken.

My throat tightened.

"Mom, I was so stupid. I shouldn't have let you put up with this for so long," I said.

Mom shook her head, her tears falling onto the back of my hand.

"Harry wasn't like this before," she said.

I stared at the closed door.

"It's not that he changed. I just never saw it before," I muttered.

That night, I didn't wait for Harry to come back.