Chapter 6 - The Weight of the Wrench
The small plastic stick felt like a bomb in the dark room.
Pregnant.
Gavin stared at Alyssa, his mouth opening and closing in shock. "Alyssa? Are you... when did you find out?"
"This morning," she sobbed, clutching her stomach. "I was going to tell you after the dinner party. I wanted to celebrate your promotion, my promotion... but it was all a lie. Our whole life is a lie!"
Gavin stepped toward her, reaching out. "Honey, please. This is a blessing. We can fix this."
Alyssa recoiled, pressing herself against the wall. "Don't touch me! You bankrupt us, you rob your own mother, and you lied to me for months! I can't raise a baby with a man like you!"
I stood in the doorway, the flashlight heavy in my hand.
A grandchild. Walter had always wanted a house full of running feet and laughter. Now, the first grandchild was arriving into a warzone, a house that was thirty-two thousand dollars away from being seized by the county.
Gavin turned to me, desperation making his eyes look wild.
"Mom. You hear that? You're going to be a grandmother. You can't call the police. If I go to jail for fraud, how am I supposed to support my kid? You have to sign the deed over. It's the only way to get the money to save the house for the baby."
He was using his unborn child as a shield. As leverage.
I looked at the brass wrench in my hand. Always keep leverage, El.
"You're right, Gavin," I said slowly. "We need to save this house for the baby."
Relief washed over his face. He actually smiled. "Thank you, Mom. I knew you'd understand. I'll get the papers."
"No," I said, my voice hardening like steel. "I am not signing anything."
His smile vanished. "But you just said—"
"I said we need to save the house. Not you." I pointed the flashlight directly at his face. "Tomorrow morning, you are leaving. You will pack your clothes and you will get out of my home."
"And go where?!" he shouted.
"I don't care," I replied.
I turned to Alyssa. She was shivering in the dark, terrified and alone. For years, she had treated me like a nuisance, an obstacle in her perfect life. But right now, she was just a frightened mother-to-be who had been betrayed by the man she trusted.
"Alyssa," I said softly. "You can stay."
Both of them stared at me.
"What?" Alyssa whispered.
"You can stay in the master bedroom," I told her. "You have a stable job. You will pay me rent. A fair market rate. That rent will go directly to the county to set up a payment plan for the property taxes."
"You're choosing her over your own flesh and blood?!" Gavin screamed, stepping aggressively toward me.
Before I could react, Alyssa moved. She grabbed the heavy silver candlestick from the floor and stepped between me and Gavin, wielding it like a club.
"Back off, Gavin," she snarled, a fierce, maternal protectiveness suddenly exploding out of her. "Don't you dare take another step toward her."
Gavin looked at his wife, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his mother, united against him. The absolute defeat finally broke him.
He staggered backward, grabbing his coat. "Fine," he spat. "You two deserve each other. See how long you survive without me."
He stormed down the hall. We heard the front door open, and then, a massive, echoing slam that shook the walls.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Alyssa dropped the candlestick and collapsed onto the bed, weeping into her hands.
I walked over and sat beside her in the dark. I didn't hug her—we weren't there yet. But I placed my hand on her shoulder.
May you like
Suddenly, the front door burst open again. Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway.
"Did you think it was that easy?!" Gavin's voice roared in the dark. "I'm not leaving without what's mine!"
