Chapter 1 - THE BOXES AT THE DOORThe front door swung open with a harsh, splintering crack, and my mother’s hand reached out, aggressively grabbing the first cardboard box she had packed for me.
"Look at you, standing there like a ghost," my mother, Helen, sneered, her face twisting into an ugly expression of triumph. "I told you by the weekend, Naomi. Get those cheap bags out of my hallway before Derek and the kids walk through the door. They’ve had a long drive from Seattle, and the last thing they need is to look at your ungrateful face."
Behind her, my father stood silently in the shadows of the foyer, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor. He didn’t say a word. He never did when Helen was on one of her rampages. He was a coward who traded his spine for a quiet life, letting his golden-child son and his domineering wife rule the roost.
"Mom," I said, my voice eerily calm, sending a sudden, uncharacteristic shiver down her spine.
"Don't 'Mom' me!" she barked, yanking the box harder, expecting me to cry, to beg, to scream—just like I had done three years ago when Derek had first financially ruined himself and run crying back to mommy and daddy.
Instead, I let go of the box completely.
She stumbled backward, nearly tripping over her own expensive loafers. Before she could regain her balance, a sleek black luxury sedan pulled smoothly into the driveway. Out stepped Derek, wearing his signature arrogant smirk, flanked by his two rowdy kids who immediately began tearing up the front lawn.
"Ah, the eviction is going smoothly, I see," Derek laughed loudly, grabbing a duffel bag from the trunk. He looked at me with pure disdain. "Good to see you finally pulling your own weight, little sis. Welcome to the real world."
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I didn’t blink. I didn’t flinch. I reached into my coat pocket, pulled out a thick, official-looking manila envelope, and tapped it against my palm.
"You might want to unpack that duffel bag in your car, Derek," I whispered, stepping past my mother and out into the crisp morning air. "Because you don't live here anymore. None of you do."
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