His grip was cold and uncomfortably tight.

With his other hand, he reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my brass key ring.

The metal keys jingled in the quiet hallway.

“I’ll put her bags on the porch,” Linda said, turning toward the coat closet.

“You can’t do this, Ethan,” I said, looking directly into his eyes.

“We just did,” Ethan said.

He opened the heavy wooden front door and pointed out into the damp, cold autumn air.

“Go, Sophia. We’ll talk when you are ready to be reasonable about Ryan’s debt.”

I did not move.

Instead, I reached into my other pocket and pulled out my own phone.

I opened the email attachment that David, my attorney, had sent me moments before.

“You might want to look at this before you try to lock me out of my own home,” I said, holding the screen up to Ethan’s face.

Ethan squinted at the bright display in the dimly lit hallway.

“What is that?” Linda asked, scoffing as she pulled a plastic hanger from the closet. “More of her lawyer’s empty threats?”