Chapter 10 - THE SILENT APARTMENT IN BOULDER: WHY MY NEW LIFE BEGAN THE MOMENT THEIR OLD ONE ENDED
Ten miles away in downtown Boulder, the afternoon sun was casting a warm, golden glow across the hardwood floors of my new, fully furnished penthouse apartment overlooking the Flatirons.
Lily was sleeping peacefully in her crib in the nursery down the hall, wrapped in her soft pink blanket, breathing with the quiet, contented rhythm of an infant who knew nothing of betrayal, lockouts, or corporate real estate takeovers.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the living room, holding a warm cup of herbal tea, looking out at the majestic mountain peaks in the distance.
My phone rested on the marble coffee table.
It had been buzzing intermittently for the past twenty minutes.
Missed call from Luca.
Missed call from Wendy.
Missed call from Stephanie.
Then, a frantic text message popped up on the screen from Luca:
“Jessi, please pick up the phone. This isn't funny. Where are we supposed to sleep tonight? Mom is having a panic attack in the car. Please tell me you’re just playing a sick joke.”
I picked up the phone, stared at the glowing words for a few seconds, and then opened my banking app.
I watched as the $4,250,000.00 cash proceeds from the sale of Redwood Crest Drive sat safely, securely, and entirely untouchably in my private, pre-marital corporate account.
Then, I opened my contacts list, selected Luca’s number, and tapped Block Contact.
I didn't reply to his text.
I didn't explain where I was.
I didn't offer him a hotel room, a couch, or a single word of comfort.
He had spent years believing that my success, my wealth, and my home were things he could inherit by simply sleeping in my bed and bringing his mother along for the ride.
He had wanted to play the master of the house.
Well, now he was the master of a thirty-day storage locker in downtown Boulder.
May you like
I locked my phone, set it face-down on the table, walked over to the nursery, and gently stroked my sleeping daughter’s cheek.
The kingdom was gone.
