He Locked Me Out Now He’s Begging Me Back Chapter 63
The day my parents left, I drove them to the airport.
The temporary guest code expired automatically after their flight took off.
A system notification popped up on my phone:
*Current active users: 1.*
I didn’t close the page right away.
There was a time when I thought having only one name would mean loneliness.
Later, I understood that ownership was not about keeping everyone else out.
It was about choosing when to open the door, whom to welcome in, and when to say no.
I could give my parents a code for one week.
I could give Marisol a passcode that worked only for one evening’s get-together.
And if anyone crossed a line, I could revoke it myself.
That wasn’t coldness.
That was choice.
On the way home, I stopped at the bakery I knew well and bought a small cake.
The clerk asked what I wanted written on the sign.
I thought for a moment.
“Welcome home.”
“And the name?”
“Claire.”
That evening, I invited no one.
I made coffee, set the cake in the center of the dining table, and untied the ribbon.
The frosting was smooth, and the small blue sign stood quietly in the cream.