Forever Mine

“I don’t want you to sell it. You bought it with your nan’s inheritance. But I want you to help me get my own place. All my money is tied up in the joint account. If you cooperate, I don’t think we need to get lawyers involved. I just want my money and some support to help with the kids.”

He strokes his chin. “Fair enough. As long as I keep the house. I’ve put too much work and money into that place and it’s the kids’ home.”

My eyes well up. “Of course. I don’t want to upset the kids any more than we have to.” I inhale a deep breath. “We can share them. I’ll find somewhere close by.”

“There’s no rush to sort anything today. We can look at other places on the weekend. I’ll carry on sleeping in the spare room. There’s no rush for you to move out.”

“Thank you.”

He stands and corners the desk with his arms out. I take a step back, knowing where his hand was.

“You can come near me when you’ve showered.” A shudder rocks through me.

He wipes his hand on his jeans and opens the door. “I’ll see you later, and we can tell the kids together.”

I nod and step out into the afternoon sun, feeling lighter than I’ve felt in a long time. My head is weightless, like stepping out of a salon after a drastic cut.