Chapter 3 - The Ultimatum
The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed two o'clock as I led Dustin down the stairs, both of us carrying our bags. The living room was tense enough to crack glass.
Alana was sitting upright on the sofa, her face twisted into a mask of righteous indignation. Ellie stood beside her, holding her phone up like a weapon, her face flushed red from screaming at Parker through the speaker. Mason was sitting in the corner, staring at his gaming console as if nothing at all was happening.
“—and she refuses to apologize, Parker!” Ellie shrieked into the phone as we entered the room. “She is kicking Mom out onto the street! You need to drive up here right this second and put your wife in her place, or so help me, I will never speak to you again!”
A heavy, exhausted sigh came through the phone speaker. It was Parker’s voice, sounding strained, conflicted, and thoroughly overwhelmed by the midday crisis.
“Ellie, calm down,” Parker said, his voice raspy. “Clarissa, put me on speaker. What is going on? My sister is calling me in tears, saying you're throwing a tantrum and locking them out.”
I walked past them, setting Dustin's bag by the front door. Then, I pulled out my phone, unlocked it, and pressed the play button on the audio file I had just downloaded from the shared cloud drive.
I held the phone up high, letting the speakers project the crystal-clear recording through the quiet house.
The kitchen sounds filled the room.
“Look at the amount of groceries she left... It’s disgusting how much money Clarissa wastes on that stepson of hers... By the end of August, Parker will be ready to divorce her for being an unfit, hysterical mother, and we’ll have full control of the property.”
The color drained from Alana’s face so fast she looked like a ghost. Ellie froze mid-gesture, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly like a fish out of water. Even Mason stopped clicking his buttons, looking up in sudden alarm.
Through the phone, the speaker was dead silent for several long seconds.
“Parker?” I asked quietly into the air. “Did you hear that? Did you hear your mother and your sister plotting to starve my son, destroy our marriage, and steal my house?”
“Clarissa… where… where did you get that?” Parker stammered, his voice cracking with disbelief and rising anger.
“Ellie left her recording app running on the dining table,” I replied, my eyes fixed on my shaking mother-in-law. “They thought they were completely safe to abuse my child and scheme behind our backs. Now, they have twenty minutes to get out of my house before I call the local sheriff for trespassing and harassment.”
“Parker, it’s a fake! It’s AI-generated!” Ellie shrieked, lunging forward to grab my phone.
I stepped back sharply, glaring at her with a look so fierce she stumbled backward.
“Shut up, Ellie,” Parker’s voice roared through the speaker, carrying a tone of absolute, terrifying fury I had rarely heard from my husband in all our years together. “I heard it. It’s Mom's voice. It’s your voice. You were trying to ruin my family behind my back!”
“Parker, listen to me—” Alana started, her voice trembling as she stood up, hands outstretched.
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“Pack your bags,” Parker interrupted, his voice cold as ice. “If you aren't out of that house by the time Clarissa sets the alarm, don't ever expect me to answer your calls again.”
The line went dead with a sharp click.
