Chapter 8 - Dust to Dust
"Get them out," I told the sheriff. "Leave their trash on the curb." "Yes, ma'am," the officer replied.
I stood by the window of the apartment—the place that was supposed to be my safe haven, my marital home. Now, it was just another piece of real estate. Through the glass, I watched the tragic comedy unfold on the street far below. Elias, Cynthia, and Brenda were dragged out of the building. Their cheap suitcases and garbage bags full of clothes were tossed onto the sidewalk.
It started to rain. A cold, heavy San Francisco downpour. I watched as Cynthia turned on Brenda, yelling at her, blaming the mistress for ruining everything. Brenda screamed back, shoving the older woman. Elias stood in the middle, holding his head in his hands, completely broken. No money. No job. A pending criminal case. And a family tearing itself apart in the gutter.
They had wanted an easy life at my expense. Now, they had nothing but each other, and they hated it.
"Are you okay?" Rebecca asked softly, stepping up beside me. I took a deep breath. The air in the apartment felt clean. The scent of Cynthia's cheap perfume and Elias's lies was finally gone, replaced by the smell of rain and fresh starts. "I'm more than okay," I answered.
I didn't feel sorry for them. My mother had warned me about wolves in sheep's clothing, and I had been foolish enough to let one into my home. But I would never be foolish again. I turned my back on the window, leaving them in the rain.
May you like
"List the apartment for sale tomorrow," I told Rebecca as we walked toward the elevator. "I don't want it anymore. Have the proceeds donated to a women's shelter." "Consider it done," she smiled. "Where to now, Miss Wilson?"
"Back to the office," I said, my voice strong, steady, and alive. "I have a company to run." The elevator doors slid shut, closing the chapter on the naive secretary forever, and opening the world to the woman I was always meant to be.
