And finally Ethan trying his key in a door that no longer belonged to him.
The doorbell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
When I opened the door, Ethan saw the empty hallway behind me, his suitcases stacked neatly beside the wall, and the locksmith putting away his tools.
Every bit of color drained from his face.
“Vanessa… what the hell did you do?”
I didn’t raise my voice.
I never needed to.
Standing calmly in the doorway, one hand resting against the frame and the other touching the blue folder, I watched Gloria’s expression change from smug confidence to complete confusion.
Kayla, carrying two oversized suitcases and a garment bag, gave a nervous little laugh.
Like maybe this was temporary.
Like maybe I would fold.
Ethan stepped forward.
But the locksmith looked at him firmly.
“Access is authorized by the leaseholder.”
That sentence hit harder than anything I could have said.
“Leaseholder of what?” Gloria snapped.
I opened the folder and handed over the first page.
“Of this apartment. I’ve paid seventy-five percent of the rent for the last twenty-four months. Ethan stopped paying his agreed share over a year ago.”
He looked at me like I had betrayed him.