“Sorry,” he said. “I wish I had better news. If she were to try and harm you, please give us a call back. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do for you, though.”
“Thank you,” I said, pulling the phone from my ear before both words had left my mouth. I stared straight ahead, tears beading on my eyelashes as the news made its rounds through my head. I had no power. Coralee could stay as long as she liked unless I was willing to hire a lawyer and force her out.
I sank onto the bed, covering my mouth to stifle the angry sobs. Merlin approached me from the corner of the room, resting his chin on my lap. He was trying to offer some comfort, it seemed, but it wasn’t working. What on earth was I going to do? I couldn’t see the way out as I listened to Jack and Coralee’s continued argument down below.
Darkness filled my thoughts, its ragged fingers wrapping themselves around my mind. We had no options. None. I couldn’t catch my breath as panic rose in my throat. I’d never felt so trapped, so conflicted. I loved Jack more than anything aside from Rynlee. He’d once brought so much joy into my life, but now it was hard to see past anything but Coralee. How were we ever going to get ourselves out of this mess? And would our marriage survive the carnage that was sure to ensue?
Chapter Thirty-One
Loren
The next week was without a doubt the worst week of my life. Jack, Rynlee, and I lived our lives alongside Coralee, with every intention of ignoring her existence. I’d told Jack what the police told me, and while he was angry that I’d made the decision without him, he was more angry that we were out of options. Neither of us had told Coralee what we’d learned, but I assumed she already knew. Maybe she’d known from the beginning.
I kept Rynlee close to me at all times and hardly slept at night, listening to every creaking noise the house made. Coralee had given up staying holed away in her room. Instead, she’d made herself comfortable front and center, always popping up in our way when we were cooking, helping herself to our food, and relaxing in the living room—television volume way too loud—so we never got a moment away from her, unless we followed her lead and holed up in our own bedroom.
I picked out Rynlee’s clothes and kept her in our room, refusing to let her go anywhere alone. It didn’t feel safe. Though Coralee hadn’t outright tried to hurt any of us—that I could prove, anyway—her confrontational behavior as of late had me terrified.
I worked longer hours, spending as much time away from the house as possible. Jack and I grew further and further apart, neither of us wanting to address the issue. We needed to go to a lawyer, I knew that much, but I wasn’t sure I’d last another week in that house, let alone several months.
I set the plates for dinner that night, purposefully setting three places. Coralee sauntered into the room, looking at the sinkful of dirty dishes. We’d have maggots soon if someone didn’t do them, but I refused. We were at an impasse. In the past week, the messes she’d made had gone untouched. Loads of laundry, dishes, and trash piled up. Coralee’s end of the house had begun to reek of decay, but I refused to do it. I’d wash everything my family touched, but I wasn’t her maid, and I wouldn’t clean up after her any longer.
Jack believed I was going mad, I think. Every once in awhile, I’d catch him staring at me, a worried look in his eye. When I’d glance his direction, he’d look away. We hadn’t so much as touched in over a week. Everything in my life had begun to center around proving a point to Coralee. Still, the truth remained—she was ruining my life, and I was pretty sure she’d set out to do just that.
Coralee grabbed a plastic cup, dumping a scoop of spaghetti into it, and pulling out one of the last clean forks from the drawer—an olive fork, way too small for spaghetti. She walked past us, not bothering to look our way. It wasn’t long before the sound of our television was too loud for us to carry on a normal conversation.
Rynlee looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear, and my heart broke. I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t do it with Coralee, I couldn’t do it with Jack. I gripped my fork, my mind blind with rage as I stormed into the living room, unsure of what I was planning until I reached the room.
I lunged forward, grabbing the television above my head and jerking it back off the wall. It didn’t budge, thanks to the metal grip holding it in place. I jerked again.
“Come on!” I screamed, pulling it back. I felt like a madwoman as I jerked a final time, the TV pulling loose from its mount and crashing to the floor, taking me with it. Merlin jumped up from where he lay across the room, disturbed by the sudden interruption to his sleep. He groaned, moving toward me to investigate what had happened. I looked up at Coralee from the ground, my body pulsing with venom. “That’s enough!”
Her sly smile sent me reeling. She clicked her tongue. “She’s unstable, Jack,” she said, casting her eyes to where I saw Jack and Rynlee standing. “Tell me, sweetheart, how does it feel to know you’ve got an insane woman for a mommy?” She pursed her lips in mock empathy.
“What is your plan? Are you really going to stay here forever?” Jack asked, positioning himself in between Coralee and Rynlee. Rynlee burst into tears, running to my side. I stood, collecting her in my arms. “You’re unwelcome, Mother. We’ve made that incredibly clear. None of us can live this way anymore.”
“There’s the door,” she said, waving her hand as if she were a TV show host. “As for me, I’m perfectly fine here. I always did like a little drama in my day. Things with your father grew to be so boring.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell and throw things and drag her out of my house by the throat, but I couldn’t. I’d thought of changing the locks, but she never seemed to leave the house. The bottom line was, she wasn’t leaving, so we would have to.
“You can’t live here if we sell the house,” I said, causing Jack to look over his shoulder at me.
“I don’t wanna leave,” Rynlee cried harder.
Coralee sat stone still, her eyes lighting up with pleasure. “I will follow you wherever you go.”
“To what end, Mom? What are you gaining from this?”
“I want to be near you, son. What else is there?”
“I don’t want you around,” he argued. “Not like this.”
“You won’t be allowed to stay if we don’t invite you in, and I can promise you, that’ll never happen again.”
She shrugged, obviously unfazed. “Do what you must, dear.”
“I’ll turn off the lights, the water, the power. You’ll be without anything if we leave.”
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t do that,” she mocked. “See, according to the State, I’m legally your tenant. Leaving me without electricity or water would give me the ability to sue you.” I didn’t know if it was true, but I didn’t doubt her words. My guess was she’d looked into all of it enough to be an expert at that point.
That seemed to be the last straw for Jack. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to us. To my family.”
“I’m your family, Jack.” She stood from where she’d been sitting, slamming the cup from her hands down so it sloshed the spaghetti onto the cream fabric of the chair.
“Not anymore,” he said, shaking his head. “Not after this. We’re leaving.” He looked at me. “Go pack a bag. We’re leaving, and we’re going to fight to get you out of here. I never want to see you again, Mom. I’ll never forgive you for this.”
I hurried past him, so much pride filling my heart it nearly hurt. I rushed into Rynlee’s room and grabbed her suitcase, stuffing it to the brim. I grabbed her baby book, the photos from her wall. “Get a few of your favorite toys, sweet girl. We’ll come back for the rest later.” I didn’t tell her I wasn’t sure if that was true.
Once we were done, we headed toward my bedroom, loading up my suitcase. I grabbed everything important to me: my mother’s pearls, Grandmother’s quilt. I had two totes and a suitcase full of things ready for Jack to load into the car when he finally appeared. He hugged us both, whispering in my ear how sorry he was.
His apologies only made me cry harder. I didn’t need ‘I’m sorry,’ I needed solutions, but I wasn’t blind enough to think they existed.
We were in a hole, and the only way to get out was to climb—blood, sweat, and tears be damned.
We loaded into the car, silent as mice, as Jack slammed the trunk. He patted the seat next to Rynlee, allowing Merlin to climb inside. The old dog seemed just as confused as we were, restlessly pacing from the floor to the seat. I didn’t ask where we were going. It didn’t matter. We drove away from the home, Coralee’s shadow looming in the doorway letting me know she’d won once again.
I had her son—my husband—but she had my home, my memories, my legacy. The house was the only thing I’d ever owned outright, and it meant nothing to her. It was a means to an end. She wanted her son to choose her, not me.
To be honest, if it meant getting that house back, I wasn’t sure I’d disagree with the terms.
* * *
Two days later, I sobbed as we listed the house with a realtor. I was pretty sure the woman thought I was deranged, crying and snotting as we signed her contract. When she asked for pictures, I gave her the few that I had, before and after shots from when I’d had the house repainted a few years back. I tried to explain our situation with Coralee gently.
“We aren’t sure if she’ll let the house be shown,” Jack said, clearing up my puzzling explanation.
If the realtor was confused, she didn’t let on. “Well, legally, you have to give your tenants sixty days notice before you could sell, so we may have to put off closing a bit, but she’s legally required to let you show the house with twenty-four hours notice. You could enforce that.” She nodded, agreeing with herself. “We don’t have to give her a choice.”
I clung to her words, hoping we could back Coralee into a corner, get her to break a rule so she could be thrown out. It was the only hope I had.
Jack and I headed back to the hotel after that. He’d offered for us to stay in the apartment above his bar, but with the loud music and crowds all hours of the night plus Coralee’s ability to show up there anytime, it wasn’t ideal. I needed to be somewhere that felt safe from her, even if it couldn’t last. As a last resort, we’d go there, but for now, the hotel felt a bit like a sanctuary. We had a meeting with our lawyer in an hour and a half, but nothing to do in the meantime. Sarah had Rynlee again, thank God for her, we’d boarded Merlin in a nearby kennel, and Becky was working hard to get our new employee trained. Life was being held together, but only by a thread.
It felt odd, hiring someone without Meredith’s approval, but she still hadn’t replied to my last text, so I decided it served her right to be left out of the loop for once.
Jack held my hand as we walked down the hotel hallway, stepping onto the elevator. It was an empty gesture, more out of what felt like habit than love, but I didn’t pull away. We’d walked on eggshells around each other since the night we left the house—longer than that, really. I’d gotten what I wanted, Jack had chosen me over Coralee. I should’ve been happy—happier—but I felt empty. I was too upset over all that had happened. Losing my house had sent me over the edge, depression taking a firm hold on me. I couldn’t make myself feel anything for him—anything for anyone, for that matter—until our situation was resolved. Feeling anything hurt too much. The elevator doors opened on our floor, and we walked off.
I wasn’t sure what our marriage would look like once Coralee was out of the way. We’d never gotten a chance to explore that. I studied his face, trying to remember the way we’d been before. Before the chaos that had consumed our lives. We’d been married less than three months, and already I felt like we’d survived decades together. The man I’d married wasn’t the man standing beside me now. I wasn’t sure there was a way forward for us, and I hated that Coralee had done that. How could I ever look at my husband and not feel the pain he brought into my life? I hated myself for feeling the way I did. Jack had done exactly what I wanted, and yet it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough if it meant ripping my child from the only home she’d ever known. The future I’d always pictured had been in that house, the house where I was raised, and my mother before me. I couldn’t imagine a future without it. But I couldn’t imagine a future without Jack either. They were separate in my mind, though they’d once been one and the same. Now, I had a choice to make. Which mattered more?
Jack pressed the keycard to the door and we made our way into the stale-smelling room. I flung myself onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling with an empty mind.
That’s what I felt—emptiness. Nothing.
I walked through life in a trance, just hoping and praying the madness would end soon. I didn’t want to think of the irreparable damage this had caused to my daughter, my business, my mental health. I could think about that eventually, but I needed to get the source of the issues out of my house first.
She was like an infestation, a pest, chewing her way through every aspect of my life. Given enough time, she was sure to leave what was left of my existence in shreds.
Jack was texting someone, his brows drawn together in frustration when I looked over at him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. What isn’t?
He looked up at me. “Huh? Oh, nothing. Just a shipment at the bar came in wrong. Darryl’s dealing with it.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket and stood. When he slid onto the bed next to me, I laid my head on his chest, his heartbeat the first comfort I’d felt in so long.
“The house will sell,” he said. “And then, everything will be better.”
I scoffed, cool tears trailing down the side of my face and into my hairline. I brushed them away. “You don’t know that.”
“You know I’m sorry, right? I’m so incredibly sorry, Lor. I hate myself for the mess I’ve gotten you and Rynlee in. If I could see a way to fix it, I would do it. In a heartbeat. You are all that matters to me in this world.”
“I know it’s not your fault,” I told him, not sure if I entirely believed it. “It just…how did this happen, you know? This isn’t my life. Before, my biggest worry was making sure we had enough tulips at the store or that Rynlee took a bath the night before. Now, I’m worried about the psychological damage I’ve inflicted on my child and whether or not I’ll ever see the only home I’ve ever known again.” I covered my face, my shoulders shaking with sobs.
“I know,” he said, cradling me in his arms. “I know. God, I just can’t believe what she’s done. This isn’t my mother. She was never like this. Growing up she was…my best friend. We’ve never had a relationship like most boys do with their mothers. I was always a proud Momma’s boy, and now…it’s like I don’t even know who she is.” His voice was haunted. “How could I have not seen this coming?”
“Is this all because she wants you back in her life? Is that all it is? Because she wants you to choose her over us? To leave me?”
“Maybe,” he mumbled. “Is that what you want?” I uncovered my eyes, searching his face. I knew what he wanted me to say, but I wasn’t sure it was the truth.
“I don’t know.”
He tensed immediately, which only made me cry harder. “I’m sorry, Jack. I love you, I really do. It’s just…”
“Just not enough to lose everything for me—”
“It’s not that simple—”
“It is!” he argued, pulling away. He sat up on the edge of the bed, his face in his palms, back to me. “It is that simple, Lor. I love you enough to say the rest of the world be damned. I’m giving up everything for you—my mom, who’s the only family I have left, my business, which I haven’t stepped foot in for days—”
“That’s not fair.” I propped myself up on my elbow.
He spun around, his face wild with distress. “I’m not asking it to be fair. I’m not asking life to be fair. When I fell in love with you, I decided no matter what, I would choose you. If I had to walk away from the rest of my life with it in flames to choose you, I would do it. Without question, without fa
il. Every single time.”
“Look what I’ve given up for you, though, Jack. Look what I walked away from. My business is falling apart too, the only home I’ve ever known is being lived in by a stranger—”
“And I’m sorry for that, Loren. I am. But this isn’t my fault, and I think you blame me for it, anyway. I stood up to her. I asked her to leave. It’s not my fault the law isn’t on our side. There’s literally nothing I can do except get you out of there, get you and Rynlee far away from there. And that’s what I’ve done. But it’s still not right. I’ve still not earned your trust, or your love…” He trailed off. “If you’re going to leave me anyway, you may as well get the house back.”
“I never said I was going to leave you, Jack. That’s honestly the last thing I want right now.” The thought of splitting up in the middle of this madness, of facing it all alone, was debilitating. I loved him, that truth was at the core of who I was, but I also partially blamed him for our situation. I couldn’t separate the two.
“What do you want, then?”
“I want all of this to be over. No, I want it to never have happened. I want to go back to the moment I invited her to live with us and change my mind.”
He sighed, looking away. “We could go to the cabin, you know? Not the same one, but another one. Find a new place to live, away from here. Sell our businesses, sell the house, start fresh somewhere she’d never find us. We were so happy there.”
The Mother-in-Law Page 16
