Chapter 3: The Phone Call
I made the call in front of him.
The number belonged to the real estate attorney who had handled the purchase five years earlier. She answered on the second ring.
“Ms. Caldwell. What can I do for you?”
Russell’s face went pale.
I kept my eyes on him while I spoke.
“I need an immediate eviction notice for the property at 1427 Maple Ridge Lane. The occupant is my estranged husband, Russell Dane, and an unauthorized guest. The property is solely in my name. He has no legal claim.”
The attorney didn’t hesitate.
“I can have the notice drafted and served within the hour. Police can assist with removal if necessary.”
Russell took a step back.
“You can’t do this.”
I ended the call and looked at the woman standing behind him.
“You have one hour to leave my house.”
She looked at Russell, then at me, and grabbed her purse without a word.
Russell’s voice rose.
“This is my home. I’ve lived here for five years. You were never here!”
“You lived here with my money,” I said. “Every mortgage payment, every repair, every appliance. I have the bank records. I have the deeds. I have the messages where you told me the money was for our family.”
My mother and father had moved closer to the porch. Felix stood between them, watching everything with wide eyes.
Russell’s face twisted.
“You think you can just throw me out?”
I stepped aside so he could see my parents and our son.
“You threw them out first.”
The police arrived twenty minutes later after the attorney sent the formal notice. Russell shouted and threatened, but the documents were clear. The house was mine. He had no legal right to remain.
He was escorted off the property while neighbors watched from their windows. The woman left with him in the silver SUV.
I stood on the porch with Felix in my arms as the door closed behind them.
My mother touched my shoulder.
May you like
“You paid for all of this?”
“Every dollar,” I said. “And I’m never sending another one away from my family again.”
