My hands were sore.
My clothes were covered in drywall dust.
All I wanted was a shower and sleep.
I walked down the hall toward my suite, ready to shut the door and disconnect.
Before I reached it, I heard laughter from inside.
Not just any laughter—relaxed, comfortable, settled laughter.
Clover’s voice.
Ben’s voice.
And the sound of the TV playing something loudly.
I stopped, looked at the door, tried the key.
It didn’t turn.
I tried again.
Nothing.
They had changed the lock.
I could tell they didn’t do it carefully either.
The hardware was scuffed and the frame had fresh marks like Ben had muscled it and called it good enough.
My hand stayed on the doorknob for a few seconds while the noise inside continued—Clover talking about paint colors, Ben joking about taking the big room, and the sound of someone unpacking bags.
I stepped back and looked at the door.
They hadn’t asked.
They hadn’t warned me.
They didn’t even pretend to respect the one boundary I’d set.
Cassandra appeared behind me in the hallway as if she’d been waiting.
“Don’t make this dramatic,” she said. “It’s our house. Clover needs the space. You’ll understand when you’re a parent.”
Her tone wasn’t apologetic.
It was irritated, like I was being unreasonable for wanting access to my own room.
Ronald appeared a moment later and nodded at her words.
Abby peeked from the end of the hall, smirking like she had predicted this exact outcome.
None of them looked ashamed.
None looked concerned.
They all acted like swapping my lock out and taking my private room was normal.
I didn’t argue.
There was no point.
Arguing would only feed their belief that the house still belonged to them.
I wasn’t going to beg for what I already owned.
I looked at the door one more time, not because I was unsure, but because something inside me shifted quietly, cleanly.
My voice didn’t rise.
My hands didn’t shake.
My chest didn’t tighten.
I just went silent.
Not the kind of silence that came from exhaustion—the kind that comes right before a decision, a final one.
When I left the hallway that night after Cassandra told me it was their house and Clover needed the space, I didn’t say anything.
I didn’t sleep either.