“This is your fault,” Brent said to me, pointing a finger through the crack in the door. “You’re doing this to punish me.”

“You did this to yourself when you locked me out of my own home,” I said.

“I was trying to protect our future!” Brent yelled.

“No,” I said. “You were trying to fund your family’s lifestyle with my hard work.”

“We are going to lose everything,” Brent muttered, his hand dropping to his side.

He looked defeated, but I knew him too well to believe it was genuine.

“The leasing office already called the police to escort Diane from the building,” Brent said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “They won’t even let her take the artwork.”

“Because the artwork was bought with the line of credit you took out against my estate,” Jennifer said. “It is currently considered frozen evidence.”

Brent stared at Jennifer, his mouth open slightly.

“You’re a monster,” Brent said, looking back at me.

“I am a mother,” I said, adjusting my grip on Ivy. “And I am protecting my daughter from a thief.”

Jennifer started to close the door.