Chapter 5 - Eleanor's Rude Awakening
The following weekend, I officially moved back into my house.
Tanya had secured a temporary order granting me exclusive occupancy. Daniel had been forced to pack a single suitcase and leave under the supervision of a sheriff’s deputy.
He moved into a cheap extended-stay motel because, ironically, his credit cards were maxed out, and the company accounts were still frozen.
Saturday morning, the doorbell rang.
I expected it to be a delivery.
Instead, I opened the door to find Eleanor standing on the porch.
She didn't have her usual haughty posture. She looked tired, her hair slightly disheveled.
“Claire,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “May I come in?”
“No, Eleanor. You may not.”
She looked shocked. In all our years of knowing each other, I had never denied her entry to my home.
“Please, Claire. You have to stop this. Daniel is sleeping on a terrible mattress in a motel. He has no money. His business is collapsing. You’re destroying him.”
I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms.
“I didn't destroy anything, Eleanor. He did. When he decided to parade his mistress into his company and try to steal my home equity to fund his affair.”
“He made a mistake!” she pleaded. “Men make mistakes! You don't throw away a twelve-year marriage over one lapse in judgment.”
“He didn't just have an affair, Eleanor. He planned to humiliate me. He gathered you all there on Thanksgiving to watch him throw me away.”
I stepped closer to her, lowering my voice.
“And the worst part? You knew. You sat at my table, ate the food I bought and cooked, and smiled at me while you knew he was planning to replace me.”
Eleanor’s eyes filled with tears, but I felt absolutely no pity for her.
“I… I didn't want him to do it that day,” she whispered. “I told him it was cruel.”
“But you still showed up. You still complained about the cranberry sauce.”
I shook my head.
“You thought I was just the help. You thought Daniel was the genius. Well, you're about to see exactly what your son is capable of without me.”
I started to close the door.
“Claire, wait! What about Thanksgiving next year? What about the family?”
“Ask Natalie to host,” I said smoothly. “Though I hear she’s currently ignoring his calls.”
I shut the door until it clicked, locking the deadbolt.
May you like
Through the window, I watched Eleanor walk slowly back to her car, her shoulders slumped.
She was finally mourning the family she had helped destroy.
