All Chapters of No Place at Home: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When she saw the displeasure on my face, my mother curled her lip."Elena, you're not getting any younger. It's time you found someone and got married. What kind of grown woman keeps treating her parents' house like a permanent home?"Your brother is getting married soon. We're turning this place into his marital home, so sooner or later, you'll have to move out."It felt as though someone had stuffed my chest with wet cotton.I had taken annual leave, flown three hours, and arrived carrying bags of presents, only to be greeted by this.My father immediately backed her up."Elena, you know how difficult dating is for young men now. Try to understand where your mother and I are coming from."Your brother finally found a woman he wants to marry. For the sake of this family, just put up with it."Put up with it. I had heard those words for more than twenty years.Whether it was college tuition or the last piece of fruit in the refrigerator, I was always the one told to give in.

Panic surged through me."Grandma told everyone that bracelet was for me. How did it suddenly become a gift for Ryan's wife?"My mother scoffed."Your grandmother was senile. Why would a daughter who'll marry into another family get the heirloom? Not a chance."After she hung up, fury made my entire body shake.Helplessness closed around me. I scrolled through photographs of Grandma, my hands trembling.Then I abruptly raised my head.I remembered that Grandma's will had also left me the house my parents were living in. I had simply been too busy with work to record the transfer.I gathered my identification and went straight to the county recorder's office.An hour later, the newly recorded deed in my hands finally steadied my heart.I opened my phone and found Nina Carter, the realtor whose contact I had saved months earlier."I want to sell the house in Maple Gardens. It's urgent. List it twenty thousand dollars below market."She responded almost immediately."That nei

My mother's face turned white.She snatched the deed from my hand and examined every line.Then she checked the county seal.It was real."Impossible. This has to be fake. You hired these people to trick me!"I closed the deed and put it back into my purse."Did you forget? Grandma left this house to me in her will."Every face in the room changed.My mother seemed to search her memory.But she couldn't remember.She turned toward my father."Frank, say something! How did our house suddenly become Elena's?"Pain crossed his face.I gave a cold laugh."Can't remember? Let me help you."When Grandma became seriously ill, you were afraid she would die in the house and lower its value, so you rushed her into a nursing home."I was the one who took her out and brought her to my rented apartment. I was the only person beside her during the last months of her life."Of course you had no idea what she wrote in her will."My voice grew louder with every sentence.By the end,

I left without giving them another glance.Nina sent me a message."The buyers from earlier love the house. When would you like to sign?"I replied."As soon as possible."My entire career and life were in Lakeshore State. I was comfortable there and never wanted to return to this town.The paperwork moved quickly.The buyer paid the full price in cash.Remembering my parents' behavior, I hesitated."Marco, there are still some disputes with my family. Vacating the house may not go smoothly."His booming laugh interrupted me."Don't worry, Elena. The moment I saw the price, I knew there had to be a complication. Trouble doesn't scare me."He rolled up one sleeve, revealing a heavily tattooed arm.I stopped worrying.I later heard that on Marco's moving day, Ryan had persuaded Chloe to visit the apartment again.Marco's movers carried them outside along with the couch.Chloe's face turned green.She shouted only one sentence."Ryan, we're finished!" Then she walked awa

My heart lurched.I hated my family, but some old bonds remained hard to sever.Following the address my mother sent, I rushed to the roof of a rented apartment building.Ryan was standing near the edge with a lifeless expression.I shouted in panic."Ryan, come down first. We can talk about everything else afterward!"He lifted his eyes and glared at me."Stop pretending you care! This is all your fault. You caused everything!"If it weren't for you, I'd be engaged to Chloe right now."I felt helpless."Can you still not see who Chloe really is?"She only cares about money. Even if you had stayed together, it would have ended badly."Ryan pointed at me and cursed."Don't talk about Chloe like that! This is your fault. Now she's being forced to marry a man she doesn't love!"I realized there was no reasoning with him.While I was distracted, something began to feel wrong.My parents were nowhere in sight.I reached for my phone, but a sharp pain struck the back of my h