Two weeks later, Emily found herself standing on the front porch, the rain coming down in sheets. Her suitcase, now packed with only the barest essentials, sat at her feet. The house that had been hers, the home she'd built with love and care, suddenly felt so foreign. Tom didn't even look at her as she stood there, watching him move about the house, as if she were just another part of the furniture.
EMILY (quietly, almost pleading, her voice breaking):
"Tom... please. I don't know where to go. I have nothing."
Tom didn't meet her eyes. Instead, he crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe with the same detached air he'd worn for the past two weeks. His tone was flat.
TOM (coldly):
"Look, Emily, you've been fine living here all these years. You'll be fine now. You don't need me anymore."
She stared at him in disbelief. How could he be so... indifferent? Was this the man she had loved, the man she had given everythingfor?
"How can you say that? We built this life together!" She was desperate now, her voice rising. "Our sons—"
TOM (interrupting, dismissive):
"They're not kids anymore. They have their own lives. They don't need you to keep things together."
He didn't even offer her a hug, a touch of comfort. Instead, he just turned and walked back inside, leaving her standing there, drenched and defeated.
---
Her first instinct was to call Kingsley. He was the oldest, the one who had always been the closest to her. She needed him now more than ever. But as soon as she dialed his number, she felt her heart sink as it rang and rang before finally going to voicemail.
KINGSLEY (cold, detached, his voice tired):
"Mom, I really don't have time for this right now. I'm busy. You'll be fine. You always figure things out."
Emily swallowed the lump in her throat, trying not to cry. She tried Victor next, her younger son, hoping for a different response. But when he picked up, his tone was no better.
VICTOR (impatient, dismissive):
"Mom, you're always making things so dramatic. I'm sorry, but you can't come here. We've got our own lives to live. You need to handle this on your own."
She held the phone away from her ear for a moment, staring at it in shock. Her heart felt like it was breaking into a thousand pieces, shattering in a way that she wasn't sure she could put back together. Her sons—her own flesh and blood—had just abandoned her, just like Tom.