Chapter 9 - The Eviction Notice
"What is this?" Mark spat, his face flushing crimson as he gripped the edge of the front door. "Claire? What kind of sick stunt are you pulling now? You brought the police to our house?"
"Step back from the threshold, sir," Deputy Miller said, his voice flat, professional, and loud enough to carry straight into the living room.
The jazz music inside suddenly cut out.
Footsteps clattered in the foyer. Cynthia, Jenna, Brenda, and their guests crowded into the wide hallway, staring at the flashing red-and-blue lights reflecting off the snow on the lawn.
"Dad?" Jenna squeaked, her face draining of color the moment her eyes locked onto the deputies. "What’s going on?"
"Claire, call off your little security guards," Mark sneered, stepping forward to block the entrance. "I told you yesterday, you are not welcome here until you apologize. This is my property. You leave right now, or I’ll have you cited for trespassing!"
Deputy Miller didn't flinch. He reached into his tactical vest and pulled out a white envelope stamped with red ink.
"Are you Mark Mercer?" Deputy Miller asked.
"Yes, I am! And I am the owner of this house!"
"No, sir, you are not," Evelyn Vance spoke up, stepping forward and opening her leather briefcase with a crisp, metallic click. She pulled out a certified, embossed document and held it directly in front of Mark’s face. "This is the deed for 14202 Oakridge Lane. The sole legal owner of this real property is the Hastings Family Irrevocable Trust, of which Claire Hastings Mercer is the sole trustee, sole beneficiary, and exclusive grantor."
Mark blinked. The blood rushed out of his cheeks, leaving him looking sickly and grey. "That... that's a lie. We bought this house together when we got married."
"You did not buy anything, Mr. Mercer," Evelyn said, her voice cutting through the silent room like a scalpel. "The funds for this purchase were wired directly from Claire’s pre-marital trust account eight years ago. You contributed zero dollars. Your name is not on the title, nor has it ever been on the title."
"Mark?" Cynthia whispered from behind him, her voice suddenly devoid of all its purring charm. "What is she talking about? You told me you owned this estate free and clear."
Mark ignored her, his eyes wild, darting between the deputies and me. "Claire! You can't do this! I am your husband! We are legally married! You cannot kick me out of my marital home!"
"Under ordinary circumstances, Mr. Mercer, you would be entitled to civil notice," Evelyn replied coldly. "However, pursuant to County Court Order 2024-EX-881, Her Honor Judge Harrison has issued an Emergency Order of Exclusion and Immediate Writ of Possession."
Evelyn turned the page, holding up a high-resolution color still from the kitchen camera footage.
It showed Jenna’s hands shoved violently against my chest, my body twisting mid-air, the shattered bowl beneath my knees.
May you like
Jenna gasped, stumbling backward against the hall table.
"Due to substantiated acts of domestic violence resulting in severe physical injury on December twenty-fifth," Deputy Miller announced, "all non-title occupants are ordered to vacate the premises immediately. Mark Mercer, Jenna Mercer, Cynthia Caldwell, and all present guests have twenty minutes to collect essential personal effects and leave the property."
