The Silent Takeover of the Only Home I Ever Truly Owned
I pulled his suits off the wooden hangers, one by one, and stuffed them into the bag.
I didn’t fold them.
I didn’t care if they got wrinkled.
I packed his silk ties, his leather belts, and his expensive Italian shoes.
I moved to the dresser and pulled open his drawers.
His socks, his monogrammed shirts, his gold cufflinks—all went into the bag.
When the first bag was full, I tied it shut with a tight double knot.
I dragged it out to the hallway landing.
I filled three more bags with his things.
Then I went to the guest bedroom, which Solene had claimed as her personal suite.
The room smelled of her heavy, lavender-scented perfume.
She had left her expensive leather vanity case on the dresser, along with several jars of face cream.
I swept them all into a smaller garbage bag.
I pulled her silk sheets off the bed, exposing the bare mattress.
I would wash those sheets in hot water and bleach, then donate them to the local shelter.
I wanted nothing in this house that had touched her skin.