Chapter 3 - The ShedThe garden shed smelled of dust, old wood, and rain.
A weak yellow bulb hung from the ceiling.
In one corner sat a flimsy folding bed.
Trevor had called it a “dresser.”
My clothes were scattered across the floor in trash bags.
I stared at them for a long time.
Three years of marriage reduced to garbage bags.
I sat on an old metal toolbox and opened my laptop.
My hands were surprisingly steady.
That surprised me.
I expected to cry.
Instead, I felt something colder.
Clarity.
Through the dusty window, I could see the villa.
The enormous living room glowed warmly.
Evelyn stood on the terrace holding one of my finest crystal glasses.
She raised it toward the moon.
“To a united and prosperous family!”
Everyone cheered.
Trevor laughed beside her.
The man who had promised to protect me was celebrating while I slept in a shed.
I closed my eyes.
I remembered every time I had cried during those three years.
When Trevor quit his job.
When his business failed.
When Evelyn called me selfish.
When Trevor accused me of being “cold” because I refused to fund another family vacation.
I had spent years trying to save a marriage that only one person was fighting for.
Tonight, I stopped fighting.
I opened the security interface.
A single line appeared on my screen:
MASTER CONTROL — ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE.
May you like
I smiled faintly.
“Let's see how united this family really is.”
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