Part 2
Austin let go of her arm as if her skin had suddenly turned into burning coals. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice losing all the certainty it had just moments before.
Maya opened the folder and pulled out a copy of the notarized document for everyone to see.
“I am talking about the fact that this property is registered solely and exclusively in my name.”
Martha stepped forward with an indignant look. “So what? You are already married, and what is yours belongs to my son by law.”
“No, ma’am, not when we never even discussed this, and especially not when you decided everything without even asking me,” Maya replied firmly.
Shane let out a nervous little giggle and told her not to exaggerate because they were just looking at the house. Maya pointed to the stained sofa and the dirt footprints on the freshly polished floor as proof of their intrusion.
“You didn’t come here to look at a house; you came here to settle into a palace you didn’t pay for.”
Bridget’s eyes widened in offense as she claimed that Maya’s true colors were finally coming out now that she had money.
“The money didn’t change me, but seeing how all of you assumed you could take ownership of something that cost you nothing certainly did.”
Austin ran a hand through his hair and told her that she was making a huge deal out of nothing. He insisted that if the house belonged to her, it obviously belonged to the couple as well.
“That is the problem, Austin, because you are confusing our life with your personal decisions for your family.”
The phrase threw him off completely because she had never spoken to him with such authority before. For two years, Maya had given in on almost everything, from weekly visits to “temporary” loans that were never repaid.
“So why did you even buy this house if we aren’t going to live here?” Martha snapped.
