I Stepped Out of the Shadow of His Favor Chapter 05

I Stepped Out of the Shadow of His Favor Chapter 05

The clerk looked over my paperwork. “Ms. Carter, you understand you’re transferring the title of your own free will?”

“Yes,” I said.

My phone buzzed. Lane’s name popped up on the screen. A few seconds later, it went dark. I ignored it.

The buyer did one last walk-around while the clerk at the DMV checked the paperwork. It didn’t take long. She looked up and said, “Title’s in your name only. No lien. Everything looks good. We’re ready to go.”

The moment those words were spoken, there was no turning back.

I reached for the final form to sign when I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

“Ella!”

Lane ran into the DMV, out of breath. His suit jacket was slung over his arm, his tie was crooked, and his face was panicked. He saw the papers in front of me and the car keys next to the clerk, then froze.

“You’re actually selling the car?”

I kept my head down and signed. “It is not going up for sale. The sale is finalized.”

He walked over quickly and lowered his voice. He reached for the documents, then stopped himself.

“Wait, hold on. Let’s go home and talk this through.”

I handed the signed papers to the clerk. “I asked you to stay and talk earlier. You didn’t.”

Lane went pale. He turned to the clerk and raised his voice. “We both pitched in for this car. Can you hold this deal up? Both of us should have to agree.”

The clerk flipped through the file and answered in a professional, matter-of-fact tone.

“Sir, the car is registered only to Ms. Carter. The lien’s gone, and all paperwork is valid. Her signature is all we need to finish the transfer.”

Lane stood frozen. He turned to stare at me, and I finally saw real panic in his eyes.

“When did you get the lien released?”

“This morning.”

“You did this all alone?”

“Yes.”

He opened his mouth to ask why I hadn’t told him, then stopped himself.

He must have recalled his morning: texting Chloe back and forth, helping her pick an outfit for the family dinner and plan how to handle her relatives.

Meanwhile, I had gone to the bank alone and severed every last tie between this car and us.

“Ella.” His voice came out rough. “Why go and do all this out of the blue?”

I pulled out the spreadsheet I’d prepared and handed it to him. “It wasn’t sudden.”

He looked down at the paper. The down payment, monthly loan payments, insurance, maintenance, parking fees, and every partial payment he’d sent toward the car loan were all listed clearly. Even the few hundred dollars he’d been short some months were noted, with a line that read: Treated as shared living expenses, no repayment expected.

Lane’s fingers went stiff around the paper.

I spoke calmly. “You paid forty percent of the down payment. I accounted for every transfer you made after that. After deducting my share of the expenses, the money I sent you earlier is exactly what you’re owed.”

“We’re completely even when it comes to the car.”

His hands started to shake. He finally understood. No one digs into every last penny out of petty anger. When someone closes the books on you, they’ve already turned the page for good.

His phone screen lit up with a message from Chloe.

[Lane, where are you? Everyone in my family is asking about you.]

Before, he would have replied to her right away. This time, he just stared at the screen and didn’t move.

Watching him, I felt nothing but irony. So he could hesitate. For once, he hesitated—yet I was always the one left holding the bag.

The clerk confirmed that the buyer’s payment had cleared escrow. The buyer nodded. “Works for me.”

The transaction continued. I took a small luck charm off my keychain. Lane had put it on the day we bought the car.

Back then, he’d said, “May this keep us safe on the road, and may we always be together.”

Years of sun and daily wear had left the charm faded and scuffed. I pressed it into his palm. “Take this back.”

Lane pulled his hand back.

“Ella, don’t do this.” His voice broke. “So you sold the car. Fine. We can get another one. Just tell me what I did wrong. I’ll make it right.”

I looked him straight in the eye. “Lane, do you really believe a car is the only thing upsetting me?”

His throat tightened.

I didn’t bother explaining anymore.

The buyer signed the last of the documents. The clerk handed me the transfer receipt. “Ms. Carter, the process is complete.”

I took the receipt and walked away. Behind me, I heard the buyer start the car and drive off.

Lane ran out the door just in time to watch the SUV pull out of the parking lot.

That car had carried six years of our lives. The good days, the fights, the making up, and every time I’d backed down. Now someone else was driving it away. Just like me, it didn’t belong to him anymore.

I got into my rideshare. Lane ran up and pounded on the window, his eyes red.

“Ella, please. Come out and talk to me.”

I ignored him. The car pulled away and left him behind.

I pulled out my phone and removed myself from our shared calendar.

All the anniversaries and trip plans vanished from his world.

Leaning back in the seat, I realized sitting in the back wasn’t so bad.

At least this time, I was the one leaving.