"I hope so," I said, though I didn't believe it.
Landon had gone completely offline. His old couple posts with her were gone. The roommates' video started circulating privately among mutual friends, and everyone was talking. The story spread fast: Minerva lying about being pregnant to trap him.
By the weekend, she was trending in local gossip circles. Someone even made a meme comparing her to a romance scam on two legs.
I didn't comment, didn't react, just sat on my porch drinking coffee, watching my security cameras hum quietly, knowing she couldn't spin this one.
Billy texted one last time that night. "She's officially out of options. No job, no guy, no car, just Mom's spare room."
Minerva was finally exactly where she belonged, back at square one. And me? I slept better that night than I had in years.
Three months later, life was finally normal again. I was seeing someone new, Rebecca. And for once, the relationship didn't feel like babysitting a full-grown child. She had her own house, her own job, her own car. When we went out, she actually fought me over who paid the check. It felt strange, but in a good way.
We'd been together a couple of months when the peace cracked again.
It started small. One of my neighbors texted, "Hey, saw someone sitting in a car outside your driveway for 20 minutes. Looked like your ex."
I checked the security feed. Sure enough, there she was. Minerva sitting in a beat-up sedan, scrolling on her phone. I didn't bother going outside. If she wanted a reaction, she wasn't getting one.
But the next day, she came back. And this time, she didn't stay in the car.
It was Saturday evening. Rebecca and I were on the couch watching a movie when a sudden banging hit the front door. Three sharp knocks, then another five.
Rebecca frowned. "Expecting someone?"
I shook my head and opened the app for my door camera. There she was, red-faced, messy hair, eyes wild. I sighed. "Guess who?"
I stepped outside, phone already recording.
"Patrick!" she screamed, voice cracking. "You're disgusting! You cheated on me!"
That one almost made me laugh. "You got engaged to another guy while living in my house, remember?"
"That was different," she snapped. "We weren't really over. You moved on too fast. Everyone says so."
I leaned against the door frame. "Everyone? Who's left, Minerva? Landon? The guy who filed a police report on you?"