“My rent went up again and Derek is not sending me a single dime for the kids.”
“You have this huge, beautiful apartment for only three people, and my new baby is your family too.”
“My daughter is also my family, and she is the only one who belongs in that bedroom,” Lucas replied firmly.
Evelyn stepped forward with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face.
“Do not be an ungrateful son to the woman who gave you life and supported you,” she snapped.
“Besides, this house belongs to you, and if you want to help your sister, Sophie has no legal reason to object.”
“She only lives here because she married into this family, but this is your achievement,” Evelyn added with a sneer.
I was about to explode with a reply, but Lucas raised his hand to stop the conversation.
“What key did you people use to get into this apartment while we were at work?” he asked quietly.
My father-in-law, Howard, suddenly appeared from the kitchen while carrying a heavy box of old plates. His face turned a deep shade of red as he looked at his son.
“We used the emergency key that you gave us a few years ago,” he murmured while looking down at the floor.
“Your mother thought this was an urgent situation that required us to move quickly.”
“This was not an emergency at all; it was a disgusting act of abuse against my child,” Lucas said.
Kimberly stood up from the armchair abruptly and pointed a finger at my husband.
“Abuse is leaving a pregnant woman and your own nieces without any help or stability!” she screamed.
“Chloe can just sleep on the couch or in your room, because she is a child and children adapt to new things.”
“My baby needs a real nursery and a stable environment to grow up in,” Kimberly continued.
Lucas did not even look at her as he took out his cell phone from his pocket.
“You have exactly five minutes to get every single one of your things out of here or I will call the police.”
Evelyn laughed out loud as if he were telling a joke that she found particularly amusing.
“You would never dare to call the police on your own mother,” she said with a mocking tone.
“Would you really choose this spoiled brat and your wife over your own flesh and blood?”
Then Lucas looked at her with a calmness that was far more frightening than his anger.
“Mom, before you say another word about what you think belongs to me, you should know the truth.”
Evelyn frowned in confusion as she looked between Lucas and me. Lucas took a very deep breath and looked his mother directly in the eye.
“The truth is that this house was never really mine to begin with,” he stated clearly.
For the first time in her life, I saw my mother-in-law become completely speechless.
