He Locked Me Out Now He’s Begging Me Back Chapter 04
I took Marisol into the main house to get my laptop.
Tessa came out of the kitchen and blocked the hallway.
“Noah and I are only staying temporarily. Dad said Claire needs peace and quiet right now, and the ADU suits her better.”
Marisol looked at me. “So why are you living in the ADU?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. Her gaze had already swept across the living room. The travel photos of Daniel and me that used to hang on the wall were gone, replaced by family photos of Tessa and Noah.
My office now held a child’s bed and toy bins.
The master bedroom door was open. Tessa’s coat was draped over a chair, and her skincare products crowded the top of my vanity.
Marisol stopped in the doorway.
“This is the master bedroom?”
“Yes.”
“So where are you and Daniel sleeping?”
“Tessa, what’s going on?”
Daniel came in just then.
When he saw Marisol, he immediately started explaining. “Tessa’s a single mom, and her rent went up. We’re just helping her through a rough patch.”
Marisol turned to me. “Did you agree to this arrangement?”
I shook my head.
Daniel’s face darkened. “Claire, there’s no need to say that in front of an outsider. We talked about this.”
“When?”
He opened his mouth, but no answer came.
Marisol stepped back out of the house, her gaze settling on the cracked bookshelf in the yard.
“Would this be covered by homeowner’s insurance?”
Tessa came after us. “It’s just one board. I can pay for it.”
Marisol crouched down and ran her fingers over the split, her tone still controlled.
“This isn’t a matter of compensation. This is deliberate damage to jointly owned property.”
Then she stood and looked at Daniel.
“You keep calling this a family disagreement, as if Claire just needs to put up with it and everything will blow over.”
“But this isn’t a family disagreement.”
“This is a property violation.”