“We have a copy of the restraining order on file now.”

“Thank you, Detective,” I said. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

“Just doing my job, Mrs. Vance,” he said.

“By the way, Rylan’s lawyer asked if you would be willing to discuss a plea deal.”

“They want to offer a restitution plan if you agree to drop the personal identity theft charges.”

I looked at the hallway mirror, seeing my reflection.

The dark circles under my eyes were still there, but my face looked calmer than it had in months.

“No,” I said clearly.

“I won’t drop anything.”

“He needs to face the full consequences of what he did.”

“I understand,” Detective Harris said. “I will convey that to the prosecutor.”

“Keep your doors locked, and call us if you see either of them near the house.”

“I will,” I said. “Goodbye, Detective.”

I hung up the phone.

The word “no” still felt strange on my tongue, but it felt good.

For five years, I had said “yes” to Rylan.

Yes to his mother moving in for “a few weeks.”