PART 7 – THE COST OF KEEPING EVERYONE ELSE COMFORTABLE
The divorce was finalized several months later.
There was no dramatic courtroom battle.
Their attorneys reduced everything to documents, disclosures, negotiations, and signatures.
Susan kept the house her father had left her.
Richard retained the assets that belonged to him.
Their marital accounts were divided according to their settlement.
Joint credit cards were closed.
Recurring expenses were separated.
And one by one, Margaret’s bills disappeared from Susan’s statements.
Phone.
Storage.
Streaming services.
Personal expenses.
Each charge looked insignificant by itself.
Together, they represented thousands of dollars and years of assumptions nobody had ever questioned.
On the first cool evening of autumn, Susan opened the downstairs windows.
Then she turned off the air-conditioning herself.
The irony made her laugh.
She made tea and carried it into her father’s restored study.
Then she sat in his old chair.
Her phone buzzed.
