While I was away on a work trip, my Mother-in-law changed our house into two parts. She asked me to pay $100k for the changes. I said, ‘Huh? But I’m not married.’ She replied, ‘Huh?’ The surprising truth came out, and her face went pale.

Carol looked between us, uncertainty creeping into her expression. “Derek?”

I stepped closer to her. “There has never been a courthouse ceremony. There is no marriage license. I have never signed anything.”

Silence stretched thick and suffocating. Derek’s face had gone pale. Carol’s proud posture collapsed into disbelief.

“He told me you were already his wife,” Carol whispered. “He said it made sense for me to help invest in the home.”

Before I could respond, a faint sound echoed from behind one of the newly installed doors. Footsteps shifted softly, followed by the distinct click of a lock turning from the other side.

My skin prickled. I walked toward the door and tested the handle. Locked. In my own house.

“Who is in there?” I demanded.

Derek answered too quickly. “No one.”

I stared at him. “Open it.”

Carol’s composure began to crumble. “What is happening, Derek?” she asked in a trembling voice.

I went to the closet where I kept a toolbox and retrieved a screwdriver. “This is my door,” I said steadily. “I am opening it.”