Kaden looped his arm through my mom's and shot me a smug look. "Want to know the truth? Mom bought this house five years ago for me. She was just waiting for you to pay off the mortgage so she could transfer it to me. We're not here to ask. We're here to tell you."

I looked at my mom in disbelief. "Is that true? Was this whole thing just you manipulating me from the start?"

After she remarried, I became invisible in that house. My south-facing bedroom went to Kaden. I got moved to the storage room. I walked on eggshells for over a decade. That kind of life eats away at whatever bond a mother and son are supposed to have. Once I started working, I moved out and rented my own place.

Then my mom tried to guilt me into handing over my paycheck every month. I said no. I figured she wouldn't let it go that easily.

But then, one sunny afternoon, she took me to the property exchange and bought me a house. She said she knew I'd never felt secure, and that this house was the biggest gift she could ever give me. Sure, it was zero down. But still, I felt a warmth from her that I hadn't felt in years.

Turns out, it was all a lie.

My mom didn't deny it. She just looked at me and said, "This house goes to Kaden. You can either move back home, or save up and buy your own place. You make good money. Five years and you'll have another one."

I held up my sleeve—the one with the frayed cuff—right in her face. "Do you have any idea what the last five years have been like for me? I didn't buy a single new piece of clothing. I never ate out at a restaurant. How many more five-year stretches like that do I have?"

I saw a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. Kaden immediately picked up a dish from the table and handed it to me. "Xavier, let's just eat first and talk this out. Tell you what—consider this house a loan from you to me. I'll pay you back after the wedding."

I swung my hand. The plate hit the floor. Food scattered everywhere.

Kaden put on a hurt face. "Xavier, even if you don't want to do it, you don't have to take it out on the food. Mom worked so hard making this for you."

I shouted right at him. "Stop pretending! Get out of my—"

Before I could finish, a loud slap landed across my face.

My mom glared at me. "You don't get to throw your weight around in this house. Apologize to your brother. Now."

Kaden's eyes flashed with satisfaction, though his face still looked wounded. "Mom, if he really doesn't want to, forget it. I just won't get married."

My mom immediately cut him off. "Don't be ridiculous. You're my son. Of course, you're getting married. I'm waiting for grandkids."

Kaden leaned his head against her shoulder. The picture of a loving mother and son. It stung my eyes.

My cheek was burning. I wiped the corner of my eye with my hand, pointed at the door, and said coldly, "Get out. Both of you. You're not welcome in my home."

The last bit of warmth in my mom's eyes disappeared. She looked at me like I was a stranger. "The deed says it in black and white. This is my house. You're the one who needs to get out."

She glanced at the dark night outside. "It's too late tonight. You'd have nowhere to go. I'll give you three days. Find a place, pack your things, and move out. Three days from now, if you're still here, don't blame me for forgetting we're family."

I watched them leave. I took a breath, walked to the door, and closed it. Then I went back inside, reached under a box at the bottom of a cabinet, and pulled out a property deed.

Back when Eleanor Kayson bought me the house with zero down but put the deed in her name, I already had my suspicions. So, to make it easier for myself when making the mortgage payments, I went behind her back, took the paperwork, and had the deed transferred into my name.

This house has always been mine, and no one is taking it from me.

To keep Eleanor and the others from just walking into my house again, I had a keypad lock installed on the door the very next morning.

Three days passed quickly. I was at work when I got a call from Eleanor. She didn't even say hello—just started yelling at me.

"I told you to move out. Not only did you not move, you actually had the locks changed?"

"It's my house. I'm not moving out. And you can forget about getting your hands on it."

"You brat. Get back here right now and open that door, or don't blame me for forgetting we're family."

The truth is, whatever bond we had as mother and son was gone the year she remarried.

I hung up and went about my day like normal.

When I got home that night, I saw that the door had been pried open. Eleanor and Kaden were inside, grabbing my things and tossing them out into the hallway.

"What do you think you're doing?" I yelled. "You have no right to touch my stuff!"

Eleanor threw an armful of my clothes at me and stomped her foot down on an old toy on the floor—a little armored hero figure.

"You had your chance to do this the easy way. Now we do it the hard way. This is my house, and I'm throwing you out right now."

Kaden stood there smirking. "As of now, this house belongs to me. Take your junk and get out of this building."

My eyes locked onto the toy broken in two under her foot.

My father bought that for me when I was a kid. After he died, I kept it with me everywhere. As long as I had it, I could pretend he was still around. And now, she'd crushed it.

Rage surged through me. I charged forward and shoved her to the ground.

"Get out! All of you get out! You broke into my house. You threw out my things. I'm calling the cops and reporting you for breaking and entering."

I picked up the broken toy, pulled out my phone, and dialed the police. "Hello? Police? Someone broke into my house and pried open my lock. Please send someone right away."

Eleanor picked herself up off the floor, furious. She drew her hand back to slap me.

"You bastard! How dare you put your hands on me!"

But I wasn't that scared kid anymore—the one who just stood there crying while she hit me. I caught her wrist in midair.

Kaden saw what was happening and came over to help her. Two against one. Soon, they had me pinned to the floor.

Eleanor slapped me across the face. Hard. Twice.

"You ungrateful snake. I should have drowned you when you were little."

I spat out a mouthful of blood. "You're calling me ungrateful? What about you? You remarried right after Dad passed away. You moved another man and his kid into our house. You took my room, my toys… everything I had. When you die and go to hell, how are you going to face him?"

That only made her angrier. She started kicking and punching me.

"I don't need to answer to you for anything I do, you brat. I'm going to teach you some manners right now."

The blows came down on me like rain. I curled up in pain.

Then, from the hallway, a commanding voice boomed, "Stop right there!"