Chapter 7 - Confrontation in the CourtyardThe explosion happened on Tuesday evening.
Amy’s plumber finally fixed her apartment, but before leaving, she decided to clean out her mother’s hallway storage closet.
Inside a decorative wooden box on Lillian’s shelf, Amy found a small, framed architectural sketch—a hand-drawn rendering of a garden gazebo I had gifted Lillian two weeks prior, complete with my distinctive signature at the bottom corner.
Ten minutes later, screaming erupted in the courtyard.
I threw open my front door to find Amy standing on Lillian’s porch, tears of rage streaming down her face, holding the framed sketch in her hand. Lillian stood in her doorway, looking pale but standing remarkably tall.
“How could you, Mom?!” Amy shrieked, her voice echoing off the brick walls of the complex. “He’s my ex-husband! You’ve been seeing him behind my back!”
Several neighbors opened their windows to watch.
“Amy, calm down and come inside,” Lillian said softly, her voice steady despite her daughter’s outburst. “Derek and I are adults. We didn't plan this.”
“You betrayed me!” Amy screamed, throwing the framed sketch onto the concrete steps, shattering the glass. “He ruined my life, and you’re cooking him dinners?!”
I stepped down from my porch, walking straight toward them. “Amy, that’s enough!”
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Amy turned on me like a cornered animal. “Stay away from me, Derek! You manipulated my mother! You used her to get back at me!”
“Nobody manipulated anyone,” I said firmly, stepping between Amy and Lillian. “Our marriage failed because we dragged each other down for three years. Your mother gave me peace when I had nothing left. She didn't betray you, Amy—you walked away from me months ago.”
