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When they finally walked away, I stood there for a long moment, watching them drive off.
Then I went inside and did something I hadn’t done in years.
I kept a spare key for the garage there. Not because I needed it often, but because it was convenient. It had been there for as long as I could remember.
It was gone.
The Security Footage I Didn’t Want to See
My heart began beating faster. I walked to the garage door, checked the lock, checked the side entrance, checked my storage cabinet.
The spare was not misplaced.
It was missing.
I pulled up my security camera footage.
At first, nothing seemed unusual. Days of ordinary activity. Deliveries. Me leaving for work. Me coming home.
Then I saw it.
Natalie stepping out beside him.
Both of them entering the garage.
They stayed for nearly an hour.
I watched them open car doors. I watched them take photos. I watched my father gesture toward the cars the way people do when they’re explaining a plan.
The audio from the camera wasn’t perfect, but I could catch enough to feel my blood go cold.
My father said something like, “Once she comes to her senses, we’ll need to move quickly.”
Move quickly.
That was logistics.
That was the third hard truth.
When entitlement becomes strong enough, some people stop asking and start arranging.
