Gavin pushed past Preston and froze. The living room was empty. The sofa, the television, the gaming console, and Gavin’s recliner were all gone. In the center of the bare floor sat two folding chairs, a small table, and a single sheet of paper. Preston’s voice cracked. “Where is all our stuff?” I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, calm, with a cup of tea in my hand.

“Read the paper,” I said. Gavin picked it up, and his face slowly reddened. Preston leaned over his shoulder. At the top, in my handwriting, was a title: “The Cost Of Housework.” Beneath it was a long itemized list with hourly rates for cooking, laundry, cleaning, and tutoring across fifteen years. At the bottom, one total was circled twice. Preston whispered the number aloud, and Gavin sat down hard.