7
As the day I’d planned to leave approached, I thought I’d feel a pang of sadness. After all, I’d lived here for six years. Instead, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief, like chains had fallen away. I was no longer someone’s wife or mother. There was no one left for me to please, no fear of falling out of anyone’s favor.
While Lucas and Evan were out, I hired three moving trucks and contracted three high–end moving services to pack up everything I owned. All my luxury bags, clothes, jewelry, skincare products–I took them all. My baking tools, my custom–made dishes, a few pieces of furniture I’d grown attached to, and countless decorations I’d chosen with care.
I even packed up the gifts I’d given Lucas and Evan, ones they’d tossed aside in the furthest corner of the closet, unwanted and forgotten. If they didn’t want them, I could sell them secondhand and at least get something out of it. After all, why should they look at things they never liked in the first place?
In less than two hours, thanks to the movers, everything was packed and loaded. The house felt cavernous, hollow. Lucas would probably return to find the place clean and spacious, just the way he liked it. He’d never cared for clutter, and now there wasn’t a single unnecessary item left.
It was a courtesy, leaving the new lady of the house plenty of room.
Before stepping out of the yard, I took one last look at the house. This would be the last time I’d see it.
Ms. Tanner, the housekeeper stood by the front door. quietly wiping away
QA
Ms. Tanner, the housekeeper, stood by the front door, quietly wiping away
tears.
“Ma’am, are you really leaving?”
Ms. Tanner had been here since the day I moved in, treating me with kindness and care, like a daughter. I figured she’d be the only one to shed real tears at my departure. I took her hands in mine, smiling softly.
“Don’t cry, Ms. Tanner. This is a good thing for me.”
