“I have nothing to apologize for,” I said.

“You will apologize, or we are going to have a very serious problem,” Daniel said, his voice rising.

He always took her side, no matter how obvious the lie was.

“This is my house, Daniel,” I said softly.

“It’s our house,” he snapped, his chest puffed out. “And I won’t have you abusing my daughter under this roof.”

The deed to this property was in my legal name, purchased with my own military savings long before I met him.

I set the tongs down on the side tray of the hot grill.

“Go inside, Ava,” Daniel ordered, not taking his eyes off me. “Rachel and I need to talk about your attitude.”

“No,” I said. “I am going inside.”

I stepped past them, sliding open the heavy glass door and entering the cool, air-conditioned kitchen.

Daniel followed me to the threshold, his hand catching the edge of the sliding screen.

“We are not finishing this discussion until you say sorry to her,” he said, pulling Ava close to his side on the deck.

I looked at him, really looked at him, and realized the quiet woman he thought he married never existed.

I reached out and pulled the heavy glass door shut, sliding the brass latch into place.

Then I turned the deadbolt on the adjacent wooden kitchen door.

Daniel rattled the handle from the outside, his face turning a deep, angry red.

“Rachel! Open this door right now!” he yelled, his voice muffled by the thick double-pane glass.

I walked to the security keypad on the kitchen wall and entered my master override code.

The heavy electronic locks on every exterior door clicked into place, sealing the house completely.

Outside, the small, black dome of the security camera mounted under the patio eave blinked with a steady green light.