Chapter 3 - The Secret Extraction
By noon, a team of private, high-end movers had arrived at the house. Liam had coordinated the entire operation from the hospital cafeteria. He had paid double for a rapid, same-day extraction.
He wasn’t moving everything. Just the essentials. Maya’s clothes, the baby furniture, important documents, and sentimental items. Everything else—the heavy couches, the dining table where Eleanor had sat eating while his wife lay dying—was left behind. The house was a rental, and Liam was perfectly fine breaking the lease and paying the penalty.
Arthur arrived straight from the airport, dropping his luggage in the driveway to help direct the movers. He clapped a heavy hand on Liam’s shoulder.
“You’re doing the right thing, son,” Arthur said, watching a crew load Leo’s crib into the truck. “Where are we taking them?”
“A corporate housing apartment downtown,” Liam replied, his eyes dark with exhaustion. “It has 24/7 security, keycard access only, and underground parking. Eleanor doesn’t know the address, and her name isn’t on the visitor list. She can’t even get into the lobby without armed security throwing her out.”
Arthur nodded in approval. “Good. Because she’s going to escalate. When narcissists lose their primary source of control, they experience what psychologists call an 'extinction burst.' She is going to try to burn your life to the ground to force you back into submission.”
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“Let her try,” Liam said, his voice cold. He held up a thick manila folder. “I just got off the phone with the lawyer. We’re preparing for a war.”
As the moving truck pulled away, Liam locked the front door of the house for the very last time. He left his mother's shattered casserole dish exactly where it had fallen on the porch.
