She rubbed her eyes and opened the door to find people from the moving company.
“What... are you doing here?”
At that moment, Danny appeared and pulled her into the house.
"What's going on, Danny?" she asked.
Danny hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, "Ella, to make it easier for John to commute to school, I bought an apartment near his school."
Ella's expression eased a bit. “I never said you couldn't buy a house, but you should have told me about something this big.”
She tried to open the door to leave, but unexpectedly, Danny grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?"
Ella looked at him in confusion. "I'm going to help pack. Aren't we moving there? I'll sort my things and move them over later.”
But Danny was still holding her hand tightly, without any intention to let go.
"Do you have something more to say, Danny?" She restrained the tremble in her voice with difficulty when she asked that.
He lowered his head and said through gritted teeth, "The new place doesn’t have enough rooms. And since we need to set aside a room for Sarah, you can't go there."
In that instant, Ella felt her heart being crushed violently. Cold spread from her fingertips all the way through her body.
Danny hurriedly pulled her into his embrace and whispered softly, "I'm sorry, Ella. But you know, all school district apartments have that layout. I really didn’t have a choice …”
" … You and John are going to live with …S …Sarah?" Ella managed to croak hoarsely.
She felt his grip tighten around her. His voice came from above her. “Having Sarah live with us will make it easier for her to tutor John, so... But don't worry, Ella, she won't be staying long. You can live here by yourself for now. It's only until John finishes his college entrance exams ....”
Suddenly, Ella pushed him away, pointed at the door with trembling fingers and forced a word from her throat, "Leave!"
Danny opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but before he could, Ella had already pushed him out.
Watching the door slam shut before him, a strange sense of panic washed over him.
He knocked on the door and said in a low voice, “Ella, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you later, I promise.”
Inside, Ella slumped against the door and crumpled weakly on the floor. She had to bite her lips hard to stifle her cry of pain.