Kicked Out For My Sister’s Baby I Returned Rich Chapter 04
Late that night I dragged my suitcase back to the apartment. All I wanted was to grab the rest of my documents and clothes.
The moment I opened the door, my father blocked the entryway.
He had a property tax delinquency notice in his hand, the corners of the envelope crushed in his fist. The living room lights were on. Marlene, Regina, and Trent were all there, clearly waiting for me.
My father slapped the notice against the doorframe, stabbing a finger at the addressee line.
My name.
“Take a good look. This tax bill has always been your responsibility. If you dare move out without paying it, the delinquency will go on your record.”
“Keep dragging this out, and the sheriff will come looking for you!”
I looked at the paper and nearly laughed.
The house wasn’t even mine.
I’d handled the property taxes, the repairs, the bills, all because my father had promised the apartment would one day be mine. Now they wanted me gone, but they still wanted me to pay.
Marlene stomped over in her slippers and jabbed a finger hard at my forehead.
“You selfish brat. Who do you think you’re looking at like that?”
Then she snatched an insurance renewal notice off the table and threw it at me.
“The homeowners insurance expires next week. The renewal forms need to be filled out. Even if you’re moving, you still have to handle all of this.”
I gripped the papers in my hand.
“Why?”
Marlene looked at me as though I’d said something ridiculous.
“Because you’re the one who’s always done it!”
She said it with such righteousness that for a second I had no answer.
I turned to Trent.
He was leaning against the couch, avoiding my gaze. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke in a flat, detached tone.
He was leaning against the couch, avoiding my gaze. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke in a flat, detached tone.
“Since we’re talking about money, there’s one more thing.”
“Give me the password to the investment account.”
My head snapped up.
Beyond the house fund he’d already drained, we had a joint investment account. Over the past eight years I’d slowly built it up with bonuses and whatever else I managed to set aside.
It was my last safety net.
“You want that account, too?”
“I need money right now.” Trent frowned. “Regina’s credit cards still aren’t paid off, and once the baby’s born, the expenses will only get bigger. The money in there was for the future anyway.”
A cold dread washed through me.
“That was my future.”
“Our future!” he shot back, his voice climbing. “The plan changed. Regina and the baby need it more now. Stop being so selfish.”
The man who’d once promised me a home was now working out how to strip away my last way out.
“How much in taxes have I paid for this family? How many pipes have I had fixed? Your insurance, your appointments, your renewals, your repairs—what part of any of that didn’t go through me?”
“Trent, when you changed jobs, who created your budget, rewrote your résumé, and helped you get out of debt?”
“For more than ten years, I’ve cleaned up everyone’s messes. And now you’ve taken my home, emptied my house fund, and you still want my last savings?”
Marlene gave a cold laugh.
“Does it make you feel good, keeping score with your own family?”
“You’ve been working for years. You can just earn it back, can’t you? Regina’s about to have a baby. She’s your sister. Can’t you let her have this one thing?”
Regina, who’d been curled up on the couch, gave Marlene’s sleeve a gentle tug.
“Mom, stop. My sister has it hard, too.”
She looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, as if she were the one being wronged.
She looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, as if she were the one being wronged.
Then, in the next breath, she turned to Trent and said softly, “I saw a stroller today with better shock absorption. It’s supposed to be better for the baby’s spine. It’s only eight hundred dollars more than the one we picked, though.”
Trent looked at me at once.
“You hear that? Give me the password. I’m transferring the money tonight.”
They didn’t just want me to give in the one time.
They wanted me gone but still paying the taxes and insurance, still running the household, still handing over every last cent I had.
“I’m not giving it to you.”
My father’s expression went dark on the spot, and he slammed his hand against the doorframe.
“Ungrateful little parasite!”
“Your sister is pregnant, and all you care about is yourself. Pay the property tax and the insurance, then get the hell out!”
I took half a step back, bracing a hand against the wall to steady myself.
I didn’t argue anymore. I walked straight into my room and pulled out the suitcase I’d already packed. My documents, my laptop, and a few pieces of clothing were inside. I didn’t want anything else.
As I crossed the living room, Trent finally hurried after me.
“Thea, don’t do this. Don’t be angry. We can still talk—”
Marlene shoved herself between us.
“Let her go! Where does she think she can go?”
She stared at me, her confidence absolute.
“She’ll be back in less than a week, crying and begging. And when she is, she’ll not only pay the taxes and the insurance, she’ll apologize for her attitude tonight, too.”
I dragged my suitcase out the door.
The car I’d booked was already idling at the curb. I loaded my luggage into the trunk, climbed into the back seat, and didn’t look back.
The driver caught my eye in the rearview mirror.
“Where to?”
I tightened my grip on my phone and gave him the destination I’d settled on long ago.
The driver caught my eye in the rearview mirror.
“Where to?”
I tightened my grip on my phone and gave him the destination I’d settled on long ago.
“The airport.”