He Locked Me Out Now He’s Begging Me Back Chapter 20
When I peeled away the thick packing foam, I recognized the cherrywood bookshelf. The cracked shelf had been reinforced. The chipped corners had been sanded and waxed. Under the light, the grain of the wood gleamed, warm and smooth.
I called my father immediately.
“You fixed it?”
“Who else would?” he said, then paused. “And I went to your house and brought it back myself.”
I tightened my grip on the phone. “You just recovered from surgery.”
“I went to get your things back, not to help them move.”
My father told me that Daniel had leaned in the doorway and watched him take the bookshelf apart, then sneered, “If she cares that much about her own things, she never should’ve married me.”
“He’s come by twice in the past two weeks asking where you’re staying,” my father said, his voice darkening. “I didn’t tell him. Don’t worry. Nobody’s getting your address out of me.”
After I hung up, I set the bookshelf by the window and started putting my books back on it, one by one.
On the kitchen counter was the full coffee setup Marisol had brought over the day before. Grinder, kettle, dripper—even two bags of my favorite beans.
The apartment wasn’t big, and all the furniture was rented.
But once the bookshelf was in place and the coffee was brewing, the space, for the first time, started to feel like mine.
My phone vibrated on the table.
Daniel had sent a photo.
The master bedroom had been changed back to the gray-blue bedding we used before I left. The off-white curtains had been rehung. He had even put my old reading lamp back on the nightstand. At first glance, it looked as if nothing had ever happened.
Then two more messages came through.
“Tessa moved into the guest room. The master is yours.”
“When are you coming home?”
I zoomed in on the photo.
On the corner of the vanity sat Tessa’s jewelry box. Through the slight gap in the walk-in closet door, I could see the sleeve of her red coat.
She had only moved from the master bedroom to the guest room.
She had not moved out, and Daniel had not taken away her permanent access.
His idea of fixing things was simply making space for me to sleep again.
I turned off the screen without replying.