Then our parents.
Then the paperwork.
Then Jake.
But the documents remained unchanged.
Jake moved away from her.
Mom stopped crying.
Dad sank into his chair, suddenly looking much older.
Elena explained that Madison and Jake would receive formal notice regarding their occupancy.
The process would follow the applicable legal requirements.
Nobody was being forced out of the house within five minutes.
And any disputed rights would be resolved through the proper proceedings.
My earlier five-minute warning had never meant I intended to throw them onto the street immediately.
It meant they had five minutes to stop lying before my attorney presented the documents we’d gathered and the formal notifications began.
They’d used every one of those minutes to deny what they’d done.
The officer collected statements from everyone present.
Jake confirmed he’d seen Madison slap me.
My parents tried calling it an ordinary family disagreement.
