Chapter 7
The next day, I acted the same as usual - quiet and distant. Mary's barbed remarks went in one ear and out the other.
David's careful attempts to please me meant nothing. James stayed the same detached senior with his headphones on, Richard stayed the same invisible man, and the whole so-called home settled into an eerie calm, like the dead stillness before a storm.
That afternoon, David came home carrying a pretty gift box like he had some grand surprise. Inside was a delicate platinum necklace with a tiny baby-bottle charm. It was cute.
Once, maybe it would've moved me. Now it only felt ridiculous. Did he really think one necklace could erase all my hurt, his mother's abuse, and his own cowardice?
"Where'd you get the money?" I asked. Ever since we got married, the bank card my paycheck went into had been in his hands under the excuse of "managing our finances."
David looked visibly uncomfortable for a split second. “I borrowed it from a colleague, meant to surprise you.” I looked at him and felt nothing but weariness. He couldn’t stop lying even at this point.
"Put it away," I said. "I don't like it." David's face fell. "What do you want from me? I apologized and bought you a gift."
"I'll talk to Mom too. Can't you give me some time?" He looked pitiful, like a man controlled by his mother and blind to reality.
I said calmly, "What's wrong between us can't be fixed with a necklace, and it won't disappear because your mother says sorry."
He froze. "Then... what is it?" I didn't answer, because he'd know very soon. Tomorrow.
Another suffocating morning came. I used the same excuse again. "The hospital called. I need to pick up the final test report today." Mary eyed me suspiciously. "Why are you always running to the hospital? Better not let anything happen to my grandson."
I couldn't be bothered arguing. "The doctor said I have to pick it up in person."
This time David had learned his lesson and didn't offer to come with me. He only told me to be careful and come back early. As I walked out, I turned back for one last look at the place I'd lived in for three years.
Our wedding photo was still hanging on the living room wall. We were smiling so sweetly in it. What a joke. I shut the door behind me. I knew I wouldn't come back as the lady of this house.
There weren't many people at the property registry office. Alex, Mr. Lewis, and I finished all the paperwork quickly. When the clerk handed Mr. Lewis the brand-new deed with his name on it, I knew it was over.
Legally, that apartment had nothing to do with me anymore.