Chapter 1 - The Ultimatum
Rebecca stared at me as if I had suddenly grown a second head.
Her mouth opened and closed silently, resembling a fish suffocating on dry land.
"Excuse me?" she finally sputtered, her voice shrill and trembling with rising rage.
"You heard exactly what I said," I replied, my tone as cold as absolute zero.
"Get your things and get out of my house."
Rebecca let out a sharp, mocking laugh that echoed off the high kitchen ceiling.
"You must be out of your absolute mind, David."
"You are going to throw your own wife out onto the street over a little spilled tea?"
I stepped closer to her, closing the distance until she was forced to look directly into my eyes.
"That wasn't an accident, and it wasn't just a spill."
"You threw scalding hot water at the woman who gave me life."
"You assaulted my mother in my own home."
Rebecca scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh, please, stop being such a dramatic mama's boy."
"She provoked me, and she needs to learn her place in this household."
"This is my house too, David!"
I shook my head slowly, feeling a terrifying sense of calm wash over me.
"No, Rebecca, it isn't."
"My name is on the deed, and my mother's money helped pay for the down payment."
"You haven't contributed a single dime to this mortgage since we got married."
Her face flushed a deep, angry crimson.
"You can't do this to me!"
"I am your wife!"
I turned my back on her and walked straight toward the master bedroom.
"Not anymore," I muttered, loud enough for her to hear.
I pulled her expensive designer suitcases from the top of the closet and threw them onto the bed.
I started grabbing armfuls of her clothes, tossing them carelessly into the luggage.
Rebecca ran into the room, screaming and trying to grab my arms.
"Stop it right now!" she shrieked, her perfectly manicured nails digging into my skin.
"If you kick me out, I swear I will take half of everything you own!"
I zipped up the first suitcase and dropped it onto the floor with a heavy thud.
"We signed a prenuptial agreement, Rebecca."
"Or did you conveniently forget about the infidelity clause?"
Her face went entirely pale, the color draining away in an instant.
I had known about her late-night texts with her coworker for weeks, but I had been waiting for the right moment to confront her.
"Grab your bags and leave, or I am calling the police to report you for elder abuse," I warned her.
She grabbed her luggage, her hands shaking with a mix of fury and fear.
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"You will regret this, David!" she screamed as she slammed the front door behind her.
I stood in the sudden silence of the house, taking a deep breath before heading down the hall to my mother's room.
