Chapter 16 — The Final Audit
Yvette set the move-out inspection for three o’clock: verify damages, separate assets, and — she added — Lorna would be present with legal counsel.
When the elevator opened, a crowd had gathered outside the unit: Yvette, Wanda, a moving crew, my attorney, a paralegal with a thick binder.
Tiffany hovered by the stairwell looking like she wanted the floor to take her.
And I stood in the center of the doorway, hair down, the fading bruise on my cheek bare.
I hadn’t covered it with makeup.
It was evidence, and it was mine, and the era of hiding their ugliness under my foundation was over.
Marlene opened her mouth to attack, saw the lawyer, and switched instantly to weeping.
“Lorna, honey, you’re home!
I haven’t slept, I’ve been so worried — why are you tearing this family apart?”