I ignored her, marching up to Mauricio. “This is my house.”
Mauricio casually pulled a paper from his folder and shoved it against my chest. “Temporary occupancy order. You signed it thirty minutes ago.”
“I signed under duress!” I spat, crumpling the paper.
“You signed after your wife almost died while you were with a prostitute,” Mauricio replied evenly.
I stepped toward the locksmith, who was busy replacing the heavy brass deadbolt. “Stop working right now.”
Mauricio moved, blocking my path. “Don’t.”
I laughed, a high, shaky sound. “You think you can throw me out of my own house?”
“No,” he said. “Irma can.”
The locksmith finished, the heavy click of the new metal lock echoing like a gunshot in the quiet neighborhood. The automatic gate whirred open. I pushed past Mauricio and stormed into the foyer.
Everything looked exactly the same, which somehow made it infinitely worse. The same mahogany entry table. The same painting Irma had bought from a street artist in Guadalajara. The familiar scent of lavender cleaner and the strong coffee she always brewed.
But my things were not where they should be.
My keys were missing from the ceramic bowl. My framed Businessman of the Year award was gone from the hallway wall. And in the center of the sunken living room, four large suitcases sat waiting near the door.
They weren’t packed with rage. They were packed with terrifying efficiency. My bespoke suits were folded. My watches were zipped inside their leather travel cases. My passport was in a clear plastic envelope on top.
That was what finally broke something deep inside me. Not the photos. Not the lawyer. Not Mauricio’s slap. The neatness. Irma hadn’t thrown me out in a storm of broken glass and screaming. She had removed me like a stubborn wine stain she had finally figured out how to clean.
“You had no right to let him in here,” I snapped, turning around.
Doña Teresa had stepped inside behind me. Her voice was small, but it cut to the bone. “She had every right, Marcial.”
I glared at the old woman. “You should mind your own business.”
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