Chapter 4

The next two days were blissfully quiet.

I'd blocked Henry, and I ignored every call from his parents.

With Sophie, I started creating our own routines again in this empty house.

We went grocery shopping together, and I taught her the names of all kinds of vegetables.

We decorated her princess room, filling her bed with all her favorite stuffed animals.

I read her bedtime stories, watching her drift off to sleep with a smile on her face.

The swelling on Sophie's face had completely gone down, but the emotional scars would take time to heal.

She stuck to me like glue, and she was jumpier, more easily startled than before.

Once, while we were watching a cartoon and the characters started arguing, she'd clutch my hand, tense and scared.

I'd hold her close, whispering again and again, "We're safe now. We're free."

On the fourth afternoon, a call came in from an unknown number.

I picked up. It was Henry's mother.

"Natalie, can we talk?" she said.

"There's nothing to talk about," I replied, my voice flat.

"I'm begging you, okay? Henry's dad, his heart is acting up, and we don't have the money to get him to a hospital. Henry's been asking everyone for a loan, and nobody will help. Have a little pity on us and come back."

Her voice was thick with tears, and she really did sound pitiful.

If it had been the old me, I might've caved.

But now, all I could think was how ironic it was.

So his heart was acting up.

When she let Chelsea smack Sophie, she never once cared how I felt.

And now there was no money for a hospital.

When she swiped my card to buy Chelsea her supplements, she never thought about whose money it was.

"If you want to fix things, fine," I finally said.

Henry's mother instantly perked up. "Okay, okay, tell us what you want. We'll do whatever you say."

"Three o'clock this afternoon, at the café downstairs from my apartment. Bring Chelsea with you."

I paused, then added, "I'll only wait ten minutes."

Henry's mother looked ten years older, worry etched all over her face.

At 2:50, I slipped into a simple white dress, put on some light makeup, and headed downstairs right on time.

By the window, the Carter Family was already sitting there, looking pissed off.

Henry had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept in days.

Henry's mother looked ten years older, worry etched all over her face.

And Chelsea, still decked out in designer brands, wore a sour, resentful expression that made her look like a clown.

I walked over with deliberate grace and sat down across from them.

"All right, tell me what you want." I didn't bother with pleasantries.

Henry fidgeted with his hands, his voice going soft. "Natalie, I know I screwed up. Chelsea was out of line the other day, and I already yelled at her. We've been together all these years. Can't you stop making a scene and come home?"

"Come home?" I scoffed, as if I'd heard a joke. "Which home? The one where your darling sister gets to keep smacking my kid?"

Henry started to answer, then choked on the words.

Henry's mother quickly tried to smooth things over. "Chelsea knows she was wrong. Chelsea, hurry up and apologize to Natalie."

Chelsea, after being nudged by her mom, barely glanced my way and forced out a grudging "Sorry" through clenched teeth.

Her voice was so faint it barely carried across the table.

"Did you forget to eat or something? Speak up, I can't hear you," I said, picking up my lemonade and taking a slow sip.

"Don't get carried away!" Chelsea snapped, her temper flaring again.

"Chelsea!" Henry and his mother scolded her at once.

Chelsea gritted her teeth and finally barked, "Sorry! Happy now?"

She didn't look the least bit sorry. If anything, she looked like the one who'd been humiliated.

Henry, seeing this, immediately plastered on a fake smile. "Natalie, see? Chelsea apologized. What more do you want? Let's go home. Sophie needs to get back to school. She can't keep missing class."

He thought that was all it would take.

I took out a few documents from my bag and laid them gently on the table.

Claire had helped me put them together last night.

"Coming home is possible," I said.

I looked at them, my voice calm and deliberate.

"But there are a few conditions."

I slid the papers across the table to them.

"This is the Family Code of Conduct contract I drafted. First, Chelsea has to read the apology out loud, every single word, no skipping."

"Second, she signs it, and we take it to a notary."

"Third, and this is the important one."

I paused, letting my gaze sweep over their faces as their expressions shifted dramatically.

"From today on, Chelsea is out. She's moving out of our house."

My voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet café, it was like dropping a bomb.

"What?" Chelsea shot up from her seat, furious. "Why should I? That's my home! Why should I have to move out?"

Henry's mother jumped in, her voice tight with panic. "Natalie, what are you trying to do? That's my son's house! Chelsea is his own sister. She has every right to live with her brother!"

"Every right?" I echoed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

I let out a laugh.

It was a laugh so full of mockery that it was almost cruel.

I pulled out another document and set it down on the table with a soft thud.

It was a copy of the property deed.

"Open your eyes and take a good look," I said, my voice calm but cutting.

"The owner of this house? Natalie Nightingale."

"Property status? Sole ownership."

"This is my pre-marital asset."