Chapter 2 - The Driveway Departure
I looked down at the keys resting in Marissa’s palm. The silver metal caught the late afternoon sun.
"Take good care of it," I said, my voice eerily calm.
Evan finally met my eyes, his brow furrowing in deep confusion. He had braced himself for a hysterical, screaming woman. My absolute, freezing composure was terrifying to him.
"Let's go, kids," I whispered, squeezing Sophie and Noah's hands.
We turned our backs on the twenty people standing in the driveway holding plastic cups of champagne, celebrating the destruction of my family. We walked down the driveway to my waiting SUV. I didn't look back as I strapped my children into their seats, pulled out onto the street, and drove away from the only home they had ever known.
I didn't drive to a cheap motel. I drove directly to the penthouse suite of the Four Seasons downtown, which I had booked for the next month. When we walked into the lavish, sprawling suite overlooking the city skyline, Sophie looked up at me with red, swollen eyes.
"Mom, where are we going to live?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Dad said the house belongs to his new family now."
"Your father is a very confused man, sweetheart," I said gently, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "That house belongs to us. We are just letting them borrow it for the night. Tomorrow, we are going to teach them a lesson about borrowing things that don't belong to them."
I pulled my phone from my purse and dialed my attorney, Marcus.
"Are they in the house, Claire?" Marcus asked, the sound of a keyboard clacking in the background.
May you like
"They are currently popping champagne in my kitchen," I replied, staring out at the Chicago skyline.
"Excellent," Marcus chuckled, a dark, predatory sound. "The eviction notices are certified. The property management company has been authorized. The demolition crew is on standby for the interior renovations. We strike at 8:00 AM."
