Don’t bother coming home tonight. I’ll have your things boxed up.”
*****
Nick kept both hands on the wheel, jaw tight. I just stared out the window, hugging my arms to my chest.
I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, or scream.
The headlights stretched across the empty road, but the silence between us felt heavier than the night itself.
Finally, halfway down our street, he said softly, “I didn’t know she’d go that far. I swear I didn’t.”
I nodded but said nothing.
When we got home, I went straight to our bedroom, kicked off my shoes, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Nick followed me in, standing in the doorway like he didn’t know if he was allowed inside.
“She’s always been difficult,” he said. “But this…
I looked up at him. “Why didn’t you say anything? When she asked me for money?
When she made that comment about my weight?”
He swallowed hard. “I froze. That’s what I’ve always done with her.
Just… let her have her moment. Try to keep the peace.”
“There’s no peace in silence,” I said quietly.
“There’s just permission.”
He sat down beside me. “You’re right. I should’ve stood up.
Hearing the apology out loud was something I hadn’t realized I’d been waiting for until that moment.
The next morning, I got a text from George.
It was a photo of the chair, now in two pieces.
Taped to the broken leg was a receipt: Goodwill, $22.
He wrote, “If I’d known what she was planning, I would’ve said something sooner. You didn’t deserve that. I’m so sorry.”
Later that week, he invited us over for dinner.
Just us.
Laura was nowhere in sight.
When we arrived, he greeted me with a hug. It was awkward, but genuine. We sat in the kitchen, just the three of us.
He’d made spaghetti and meatballs, the one dish he said he knew how to cook without a recipe.
Over dinner, he apologized again.
“She’s been like this for years,” he said. “Controlling. Manipulative.
But she never went this far before. I guess I always thought I was doing the right thing by staying quiet.”
Nick leaned forward. “We both did.”
George gave me a sad smile.
“You broke more than a chair, Elena. You broke the cycle.”
His words stayed with me on the drive home, echoing in the quiet and making me realize just how much had shifted that night.
As for Laura?
She’s been staying with a friend “until things calm down,” which I think is code for “until someone else gives her attention.”Continue reading…
