\u201cYou can\u2019t even walk!\u201d The man said with a sneer, looking down at her from above, mockery on his lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you here? Don\u2019t you understand? Your life is over. I\u2026 I have a new life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to rewrite it in a dramatic, literary, cinematic, or some other specific style?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally, something is right!\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
She just looked at them.<\/p>\n
Both of them.<\/p>\n
He: restless, sweating, his shirt collar curled like his conscience.<\/p>\n
She: perfect, serene, with the coldness of a soulless hospital waiting room.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u2026 why are you here?\u201d Elena finally asked, her voice emotionless, flat like a pulseless electrocardiogram.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s best to tell you directly\u2026 before you hear it from someone else.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re moving.<\/p>\n
To the apartment.<\/p>\n
Your apartment.<\/p>\n
Well\u2026 the apartment used to be ours, but\u2026 I can\u2019t anymore\u2026\u201d He gestured vaguely to his feet, as if that explained everything.<\/p>\n
Elena reached for a thin file on the table, ready, waiting for this moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere it is,\u201d she said calmly, handing it to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything\u2019s inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will.<\/p>\n
Transferring ownership.<\/p>\n
They needed a place to start.<\/p>\n
I\u2026I\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re giving us the house?\u201d he asked, confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like that?\u201d the landlady added, not taking another step forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. It\u2019s hers.<\/p>\n
I have other things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed, with a look of arrogance that cracked and turned to fear.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther things? You? You can\u2019t even walk!\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Just for a second.<\/p>\n
And when she opened them again, her gaze was steady, serene. There was no anger. Just the stark truth.<\/p>\n
Then, with slow movements, she pulled the blanket off her thighs, untied the cane, and sat up.<\/p>\n
One step.<\/p>\n
Another step.<\/p>\n
The sound was faint, but each step was heavier than any words that had been spoken up to that point.<\/p>\n
He froze. She\u2014the other person\u2014her mouth was open, unable to express her surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in an accident, not a life sentence,\u201d Elena said, unhurriedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it doesn\u2019t matter now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you say that?\u201d he stammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the doctors\u2026 you said\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n
I just need time.<\/p>\n
And rest.<\/p>\n
And stay away from you.<\/p>\n
And you gave me all that. Inadvertently.\u201d<\/p>\n
She walked to the door. Before she left, she turned back one last time.<\/p>\n
Her voice was clear, firm, like a bell in the silence:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took my home.<\/p>\n
I took your freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d her lover exclaimed, a little panicked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d he asked, but his voice was shaking.<\/p>\n
Elena smiled, forced.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe file. Read it carefully.<\/p>\n
Especially\u2026 the last page.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then, Elena left the room.<\/p>\n
Her steps were slow, but sure.<\/p>\n
Behind her, the silence didn\u2019t fall: it exploded. Like a silent bomb that made only noise in their minds.<\/p>\n
The man opened the file with trembling hands. He turned a page. Then another. When he reached the last page, his face was pale.<\/p>\n
His mouth moved, but no sound came out.<\/p>\n
There, in the last paragraph, it said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the terms of the attachment, the transfer of ownership is only effective if the new owner accepts sole custody of a child born out of an affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up. His eyes met hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2026 you didn\u2019t say anything about a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lowered her eyes. She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause\u2026\u201d she whispered, \u201c\u2026it\u2019s not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
A single sound pierced the air.<\/p>\n
The dry, steady tapping of Elena\u2019s walking stick, retreated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cYou can\u2019t even walk!\u201d The man said with a sneer, looking down at her from above, mockery on his lips. \u201cWhy are you here? Don\u2019t you understand? Your life is over. I\u2026 I have a new life.\u201d \u201cDo you want me to rewrite it in a dramatic, literary, cinematic, or some other specific style?\u201d \u201cFinally, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30546,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30545\/revisions\/30546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}