He Locked Me Out Now He’s Begging Me Back Chapter 17
Once the main house finally quieted down, I went over to get my suitcase.
The moment I opened the door, Tessa stepped in front of me, her eyes red and swollen.
“Why didn’t you answer the phone? Noah got in trouble at school, and all you could say was you had a meeting? What meeting is more important than a child?”
I went around her and opened the storage cabinet.
“That’s for his guardian, his parent, and his teachers to deal with.”
“But you were the closest one!”
“Being close doesn’t make it my responsibility.”
I dragged the suitcase back toward the ADU. Daniel followed me in and shut the door.
“Today was an emergency. What would it have cost you to help just this once?”
I opened the closet and started folding clothes into the suitcase, one by one.
“You’re always able to create an emergency. A forgotten lunch, an unexpected shift, a school holiday, a fight with another kid. And every single time, I’m somehow supposed to be the one who handles it.”
Daniel stared at the suitcase, and for the first time, his face truly changed.
“Why are you packing?”
“I’m moving out.”
“Moving out where?”
“A hotel. Or a furnished short-term rental. Until Tessa and Noah leave.”
He reached out and pressed a hand against the suitcase lid.
“Claire, are you out of your mind? This is a huge decision. Why wouldn’t you talk to me first?”
I looked up at him.
“When you moved them into the main house, did you talk to me first? When you cleared out my bedroom and changed the lock, did you talk to me first? When you promised Noah a full school year here, did you talk to me first?”
His hand slowly fell away.
“We can talk now. You don’t have to throw away your home over a fight.”
I zipped the suitcase shut.
“I don’t have a home here.”
“We do.”
I stopped and looked at him.
“Since when?”
Daniel opened his mouth.
The ADU was completely silent.