Chapter 2: The House Was Never Hers
Vanessa stared at the blue folder.
“What are you talking about, Marcus?””
Marcus ignored her.
He walked back to Evelyn, helped her stand, and gently placed her in the armchair.
“Mom, sit down. I'll get your suitcase.””
“Sweetheart, please don't make this worse,” Evelyn whispered.
Marcus picked up her scattered clothes.
“You haven't made anything worse, Mom. None of this is your fault.””
Vanessa let out an irritated sigh.
“Oh, here we go. You're going to make me the villain because I asked your mother to contribute?””
Marcus placed the suitcase beside the armchair.
“Did you ask her?””
“I told her she needs to pay rent.””
“That's not what I asked.””
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“Fine. I told her to pay rent. What's wrong with that?””
Marcus opened the folder.
“Everything.””
He removed a document and placed it on the table.
“Read this.””
Vanessa barely glanced at it.
“I'm not interested in your paperwork.””
“Then let me explain. This house was purchased in 2016. I paid for it before we got married.””
“So?””
“So, the deed is in my name alone.””
Vanessa laughed dismissively.
“Marcus, we're married. What's yours is mine.””
“That's not how property ownership automatically works.””
Gloria leaned forward.
“Marcus, don't be ridiculous. Your wife lives here. She has every right to make decisions about the household.””
Marcus turned toward her.
“Living here doesn't make her the owner.””
Gloria's cheeks flushed.
“Watch your tone.””
“No. You watch yours. You've been sitting on my mother's sofa, laughing while your daughter threw her belongings onto the floor.””
Vanessa stepped between them.
“Don't bring my mother into this!””
“You brought her into it when you let her humiliate mine.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“You're making this about money. I'm talking about responsibility. Your mother costs us money every month.””
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“Really?””
“Yes! Groceries, utilities, water, electricity. Do you have any idea how much she uses?””
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
“I can pay for my own groceries,” she said softly.
Marcus turned toward her.
“Mom, you don't have to defend yourself.””
Then he looked at Vanessa.
“Do you remember the $80,000 renovation we completed last year?””
Vanessa nodded impatiently.
“What about it?””
“Who paid for it?””
“We both did.””
Marcus opened another document.
“Actually, I did. The contractor's invoices were paid directly from my business account.””
Vanessa's face tightened.
“That's because you handle the finances!””
“Exactly. I handle the finances.””
Gloria suddenly stood.
“This conversation is becoming insulting. Vanessa has worked hard to make this house comfortable.””
Marcus glanced at the expensive handbag beside Gloria.
“Has she?””
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
“What is that supposed to mean?””
“Nothing. I'm just wondering why your mother has been staying here four nights a week while my mother is being charged two thousand dollars to sleep in her own home.””
Gloria stiffened.
“I am Vanessa's mother!””
“And Evelyn is mine.””
The words landed heavily.
Vanessa looked away.
Marcus returned to the folder and removed a printed bank statement.
“Mom, I need you to tell me something. Have you been giving Vanessa money?””
Evelyn looked confused.
“Money?””
“Any money for household expenses.””
She hesitated.
Then she slowly reached into her cardigan pocket and pulled out a small envelope.
“I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to think I was interfering.””
Marcus took it.
Inside were handwritten notes and several receipts.
He stared at the numbers.
Five hundred dollars.
Six hundred dollars.
Seven hundred dollars.
Every month for nearly two years.
“What is this?”” he asked.
Evelyn swallowed.
“Vanessa said the household expenses were becoming difficult. She asked me to help. I thought it was only fair.””
Marcus looked at his wife.
“You told me my mother wasn't contributing anything?””
Vanessa's face went pale.
“I never said that.””
“You told me she was costing us too much.””
“Well, she does!””
Marcus held up the receipts.
“She has given you nearly fifteen thousand dollars.””
Vanessa snatched one of the papers.
“That's not rent!””
“No. It was money you told her was for groceries and utilities.””
Gloria moved closer.
“Marcus, your mother is an elderly woman. Perhaps she misunderstood what Vanessa said.””
Evelyn shook her head.
“No, Gloria. I understood.””
The room went quiet.
For the first time, Evelyn's voice was steady.
“Vanessa told me the money was needed to keep the household running. I gave it because I didn't want to become a burden.””
Marcus looked at his mother.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Evelyn's eyes filled again.
“Because every time I tried, Vanessa said you were stressed with work. She told me not to trouble you.””
Marcus closed his eyes briefly.
He remembered how often Vanessa had complained about Evelyn's expenses.
How she had insisted his mother was becoming demanding.
How she had asked him to keep his finances separate from the household budget.
He had trusted her.
And while he trusted her, his mother had been quietly handing over her pension.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“Fine. She gave us some money. So what? That doesn't mean she gets to live here forever without rules.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Rules? You want to talk about rules?””
He picked up the ownership document again.
“Here's another thing you should know. When we married, I told you this house would always belong to the family. I also made sure my mother's right to live here was protected through a separate legal agreement.””
Vanessa's eyes widened.
“What agreement?””
Marcus turned to the final page.
“Mom has a registered lifetime right of occupancy. She cannot simply be thrown out because you don't like having her here.””
Gloria's mouth fell open.
Vanessa snatched the document and read it.
Her fingers began to shake.
“You did this without telling me?””
“I told you my mother would always have a home here.””
“You never said you were signing legal documents!””
“I didn't think I needed your permission to protect the woman who raised me.””
Vanessa threw the papers onto the table.
“This is unbelievable!””
“No, Vanessa. What's unbelievable is that you demanded rent from a woman who helped raise your husband.””
Vanessa turned toward Evelyn.
“This is your fault!””
Marcus stepped in front of his mother.
“Say one more word to her like that.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Gloria grabbed her handbag.
“Vanessa, we're leaving. Let Marcus enjoy his little performance.””
Vanessa didn't move.
Instead, she stared at Marcus with a strange expression.
“You think you've won?””
Marcus frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Vanessa smiled coldly.
“You've seen a few receipts and some old property documents. You have no idea what's been happening behind your back.””
Marcus slowly lowered the folder.
“What exactly are you talking about?””
Vanessa reached into her purse.
She pulled out her phone and opened a banking application.
Then she turned the screen toward him.
“Ask your mother where the money from her savings account went.””
Evelyn froze.
Marcus looked at his mother.
“Mom?””
Evelyn's face had gone completely white.
May you like
Because for the first time, she realized Vanessa wasn't talking about the money she had willingly contributed.
She was talking about something much bigger.
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