Everyone froze.

“Sweetheart, give them the papers,” she said, turning to me.

I nodded and walked to the cabinet drawer, the one I’d labeled “just in case.” I pulled out the envelope, walked back, and handed it to Alex.

He frowned and opened it. Katie leaned in. Barbara craned her neck. His face shifted from confusion to something darker. Panic.

“What the hell is this?” Alex muttered, scanning the pages.

I sat down slowly, folding my hands in my lap.

“Since my parents covered most of the down payment, they made sure the deed is in my name only. You don’t own a single square foot of this apartment.”

Barbara’s expression cracked like glass under pressure.

“That… that can’t be right.”

My mom took a sip of her wine.

“Oh, but it is. We weren’t born yesterday, Barbara. We saw how you operated even before the wedding. So we made sure our daughter was protected.”

“Maureen was never going to be subject to your abuse,” my father said. “Mo is our child. We want to provide and protect her. Not your daughter and grandchildren, Barbara.”

“So what? You’re just going to kick me out?” Alex’s ears turned crimson.

“No, Alex…” I tilted my head.

He rifled through the documents like he could magic a loophole into existence.

“You signed a prenup,” I reminded him. “Remember? Any property bought with my family’s help remains mine.”

Barbara’s voice rose a notch.

“But you’re married! That should count for something!”

I laughed, once, low and bitter.

“It should, I agree,” I said. “But so should loyalty. So should not blindsiding your wife at her own party and trying to gift her home to your sister.”

Alex kept flipping pages, shaking his head.

“There has to be something in here that…”

“There isn’t,” my father interrupted, finally speaking. His voice was steady and low, the kind that made grown men sit up straighter. “And before you think about challenging this in court, know that our lawyer drafted everything.”

Katie finally spoke, her voice small.

“But where are we supposed to go?”

I looked at her, then shrugged.

“Stay with your mother? And Alex will come along with you, too.”

Alex slammed the papers down on the table.

“You… you knew about this all along?”

I set my glass down, leaning in just slightly.

“No, Alex. I didn’t know you’d be this stupid. But I did suspect your mother would try to pull something. Call it intuition, call it… a sixth sense. So, I made sure I was protected. And now, you’re the one without a home.”

Barbara looked like she’d swallowed broken glass. Her mouth opened, then closed. She turned to Katie, who had tears welling in her eyes.

“Mom? What do we do?” she whispered. “I don’t want… I thought this was finally going to be mine. I told the kids…”

Barbara gritted her teeth.

“We go. Now.”

Alex still didn’t move. He stared at the papers like they might catch fire and erase his mistake.

My father took a slow sip of his drink as his eyes trained on Alex like he was peeling back layers of disappointment.

“A man who lets his mother control his marriage isn’t a man at all,” he said, calm as ever. “And a man who tries to steal from his wife? He’s not just a fool… he’s a coward. Take that how you will, Alex.”

That did it.

Alex blinked slowly. He stood up and placed the papers on the table. His mouth opened to say something, maybe to apologize, maybe to defend himself, but no words came.