My fiancé said, “Add your clinic and your house to my name before the wedding—or there is no wedding.” I said I’d think about it. That weekend, I changed every lock on every door I owned.

He tried again.

Then again.

By that point, the locksmith was kneeling at the front door, finishing the deadbolt installation I had added for the outer suite.

Grant turned, saw him, and froze.

Then he looked up through the glass and saw me watching.

That was when it finally clicked.

I had thought about it.

And the answer was no.

Grant did not leave quietly.

Men like him never do. Silence leaves too much space for self-awareness.