When the Lease Runs Out — Shayla Faces the Hard Truth About Anthony

"When the Lease Runs Out — Shayla Faces the Hard Truth About Anthony"

It was late Friday afternoon when Shayla first sensed something was off. She had just picked up Kai from daycare, balancing his backpack in one hand and grocery bags in the other, when she pulled up to the apartment complex and saw an unfamiliar envelope taped to the door. It wasn’t the usual junk mail or neighborhood notices; this was official.

She hurried up the stairs, Kai toddling behind her, and tore the envelope open before she even unlocked the door.

“NOTICE OF PAST DUE RENT — FINAL WARNING”

The words hit her like a punch to the stomach. According to the notice, rent hadn’t been paid in two months. Two months. If payment wasn’t made within the next seven days, they would be evicted.

Her mind raced. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Anthony had promised—no, assured—her when they moved in last year that the rent would always be handled. She had taken a pay cut at work when she switched jobs to spend more time with Kai, trusting that Anthony, with his steady paycheck and all his grand talk of “taking care of his family,” would hold up his end.

Anger and panic rose in her chest. She unlocked the door, sat Kai down with his toys, and pulled out her phone with trembling hands.

She called Anthony. Straight to voicemail.

Again. Voicemail.

The third time, she texted:

“We need to talk. ASAP. Call me.”

Minutes passed like hours. Finally, the phone buzzed. A text from Anthony:

“Can’t talk right now. At work. What’s going on?”

Her fingers flew across the screen.

“Rent hasn’t been paid in TWO MONTHS. We got an eviction notice. Explain.”

For five long minutes, the only reply was silence. Then:

“I was gonna tell you. Things got tight. I’ve been behind on payments.”

Tight? That’s all he had to say?

She called him again. This time, he answered, his voice low and tired.

“Shayla, I didn’t mean for it to get this bad. Work’s been cutting my hours. I’m behind on a couple credit cards, my car note... it just snowballed.”

“So you thought hiding it from me would help?!” she snapped. “I trusted you, Anthony. I built this life around your promises. And now you’re telling me we’re days away from being on the street?”

“I was trying to fix it before it came to this. I didn’t want to stress you out.”

She laughed bitterly. “Well, guess what? I’m stressed out.”

“Look, I’ll figure something out. I’ll try to borrow from my brother or ask my manager for an advance—”

Shayla cut him off. “Don’t bother. I’ll figure it out myself. Like I always do.”

She hung up before he could respond.

That night, Shayla sat alone in the dark living room, scrolling through her bank account. Her savings were slim. Kai’s preschool tuition, groceries, utilities—it all added up. But what hit hardest was the realization that she had stopped preparing for emergencies like this because she believed Anthony would never let it happen.

She stared at the eviction notice on the table. One week. Seven days.

She could beg her mother for help, but their relationship was strained. She could max out her own credit cards, but that would only dig a deeper hole. Or... she could leave.

The thought made her sick. Uprooting Kai again, forcing him to start over somewhere else, was the last thing she wanted. But maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop clinging to the life Anthony promised and start building one she could control.

The next morning, she called the property manager. She explained the situation and asked if they’d accept a partial payment while she figured out the rest. The woman on the phone, surprisingly kind, agreed to give her until the end of the month if she paid at least one month’s rent within a few days.

Shayla took a deep breath. She’d make it happen. She’d take on extra shifts at the bakery. Sell her designer purses online. Do whatever it took.

But she wouldn’t rely on Anthony again.

When he texted later that night, saying, “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”, she didn’t respond.

She didn’t need promises anymore. She needed action.

And if she had to walk away from Anthony’s world of half-truths and broken guarantees, she would—because Kai deserved better.

And so did she