Chapter 3
"Jenna, you didn't mean that," he said. "Notice. You don't have place to go."
I stared at baseboard. White paint scuffed where vacuum hit.
"I meant it," I said.
He shook head. Ran hand through dark hair. Gray shirt collar bent.
"Mom owns house," he said. "You say notice, she hears threat. She escalates. Just take it back. Say you were upset. We reset."
"You want me to retract so she stays calm," I said.
"So we all stay calm," he said. "You know how she gets. Chain comes off if things cool down. But not if you push eviction talk."
I felt heat rise up neck. Not anger wild. Anger quiet.
"I paid groceries last three weeks," I said. "Receipts in drawer. I can't eat if fridge locked. That's not calm. That's control."
He winced. Looked toward kitchen.
"Maybe we went too far," he said, same line as before, softer now. "But she pays mortgage. She sets kitchen rules. Please. Just tell her notice was heat of moment. We figure food later."
I understood offer. Retract, keep roof, keep peace, keep chain.
"Can't," I said. "Notice stands. If conditions don't change, I leave. That's not bluff. That's boundary."
Tyler exhaled hard through nose. Didn't argue louder. Just stepped back.
"You're making choice for both of us," he said.
May you like
"You made choice when you let chain stay," I said.
He left hallway first. Didn't slam door. Just left gap.
