The pizzas arrived and the delivery man rang the doorbell with an absurd cheerfulness that contrasted with the tension. I almost laughed because I felt the end of a shame I had swallowed for years.
Mrs. Miller put the papers on the table and looked at her son with a contempt I had never seen before. “You spoke to her as if she were a freeloader when it turns out the house is hers, and you embarrass me, Dominic,” she said.
He tried to approach me and told me that the situation was getting out of control, but I took a step back. I told him not to call me love now because I recognized his tactic of trying to elicit pity when he could no longer command.
“An apology will not fix this because it was a habit of how you treated me for years,” I said firmly. I turned to his family and told them they could have dinner, but I declared that Dominic was not staying tonight.
He was incredulous and asked if I was kicking him out, but I told him I was just taking him at his word. I reminded him that he said anyone who was not happy should leave, and I finally agreed with him.