When Mrs. Yarrow called me about my late father’s house, I thought I misheard her.
“Your tenants,” she said sharply. “The noise is out of control.”
Tenants? My father’s house was empty. I hadn’t even unlocked the front door since his passing. The grief lived there—untouched, like fragile glass I couldn’t bear to handle.
But apparently, someone had.
I raced to the next town, my stomach twisting tighter with every mile. And when I turned onto Dad’s street, my breath caught.
The house looked… desecrated.
Three cheap sedans were crammed into the driveway. The front door was wide open, music blaring so loud the bass made my chest ache. Beer cans littered the lawn and garden. My father’s porch swing—the one he’d sat on every evening—was gone, replaced with a plastic lawn chair.
I couldn’t even bring myself to step out of the car.
But then I saw it, tucked behind the open garage door: a car I recognized instantly. Nate’s Honda. My husband’s friend. That’s when it all clicked.
My husband. Phil.
Phil had done this. He’d rented out my father’s house behind my back. Turned my grief into cash. Into a playground for his idiot friends.
The rage swelled like a tsunami. For months, Phil had suddenly had extra money, explaining it away as “overtime” and “small bonuses.” I had believed him. Like a fool.
I didn’t cry. I didn’t storm in. I sat there, breathing hard, staring at the ruins of my father’s home. And then a strange calm washed over me.
This wouldn’t be fixed by screaming.
No, Phil needed to feel what I was feeling now: blindsided, trapped, powerless.
“Nate, I know you’re staying there. You shouldn’t be. I could have you evicted tonight.”
He stammered. “Listen—Carla—please…”
I cut him off. “But I’ll make you a deal. Help me teach Phil a lesson, and you get one more month. Rent-free.”
After a pause, Nate whispered, “What do you want me to do?”
The next morning, everything went into motion.
The call came while Phil was scarfing down eggs.
Dude. The house is on fire.”
Phil nearly dropped his fork. “What?”
“Electrical,” Nate said. “Fire trucks are here. Porch is nearly gone.”
