Marianne stood in the living room beside two relatives, glowing with excitement.
“Donna, look at this mess,” she said. “Isn’t it exciting?”
“It’s certainly a big change.”
“My David is giving me the kitchen I always wanted,” she told one woman. “He insisted.”
David came through the plastic barrier, brushing dust from his jeans.
He smiled at Marianne.
Then he noticed me.
For hours, I watched the kitchen disappear. Workers removed the counters, disconnected the sink, and carried the cabinets outside.
“You’re such a good son,” one relative said.
David looked toward me.
“Family always steps up,” he said.
I smiled back.
Not because it amused me.
Because he still believed I would rescue him.
By late afternoon, the kitchen had been stripped completely. It was safe, but useless. There was no sink, no countertop, and no storage.
Benjamin entered carrying his clipboard.
“Demolition is complete,” he said. “We can move into phase two once the next deposit is handled.”
David’s smile faltered.
Marianne turned toward him. “Next deposit?”
Benjamin glanced between them. “For the custom pieces and installation scheduling. We need it today to hold the timeline.”
David cleared his throat. “Can we push that to next week?”
“We can pause, but the kitchen stays like this. Depending on availability, that could be several weeks. Ma’am, you’ll need a temporary kitchen setup.”
“Several weeks?” Marianne said.
