Chapter 2: The House Where He Stayed
Ethan refused to continue in front of Claire.
That alone told me everything.
My son had spent five years learning when it was safe to speak.
And when it wasn’t.
I drove him to a small coffee shop two streets away from my apartment. It was the same place I used to take him for hot chocolate before everything changed.
He sat across from me, staring at the untouched drink in front of him.
“Ethan,” I said gently, “you don’t have to protect anyone anymore.””
He looked up.
“I’m not protecting them.””
“Then who are you protecting?””
His eyes dropped.
“My mom.””
That answer hurt more than I expected.
“Why?””
“Because she’s scared.””
I leaned forward.
“Scared of what?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
The shop was quiet except for the sound of cups moving behind the counter.
Finally, Ethan spoke.
“His name is Marcus.””
I knew the name.
Claire’s new husband.
The man she married two years after our divorce.
The man everyone described as successful, polite, and generous.
The man who always smiled whenever I saw him.
“What did Marcus do?”” I asked.
Ethan squeezed his hands together.
“He hated when I talked about you.””
My chest tightened.
“He told me you left because you didn’t care.””
I felt anger rise inside me, but I forced myself to stay calm.
“What else?””
“He said real fathers don’t disappear.””
I closed my eyes.
Those words were cruel because they used my own guilt against me.
“Did he hurt you?””
Ethan looked toward the window.
A long silence followed.
Then he whispered:
“Sometimes.””
The world seemed to become smaller.
“What does sometimes mean?””
“He didn’t hit me where people could see.””
I froze.
Ethan continued.
“He said pain teaches lessons.””
My hands curled into fists under the table.
“What happened in the garden?””
He looked terrified.
“Marcus liked to punish me there.””
“How?””
Ethan’s voice became smaller.
“He made me stand outside for hours.””
“Why?””
“Because I asked Mom if I could visit you.””
I felt something inside me break.
“You asked to see me?””
He nodded.
“Many times.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
He looked at me with tears in his eyes.
“I tried.””
My heart sank.
“What do you mean?””
“I sent messages.””
I stared at him.
“What messages?””
“Mom deleted them.””
The room suddenly felt freezing.
Claire had told me Ethan never asked about me.
She had told me he was happy.
She had told me he didn’t want more visits.
For years, I believed my own son had chosen distance.
But he had been reaching for me.
And someone had been cutting the rope.
That evening, I returned to Claire’s mansion.
I didn’t knock.
I didn’t wait.
When Marcus opened the door, his confident smile disappeared.
“Daniel?””
I held up the drawing.
“We need to talk.””
His eyes moved to the paper.
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
He recognized it.
“What is that?””
“You tell me.””
He stepped back.
“Ethan has a wild imagination.””
I laughed once.
Not because anything was funny.
Because I couldn’t believe he was still using the same excuse.
“Interesting.””
“What?””
“Claire said the same thing.””
His expression changed.
A small crack appeared in the perfect image he showed everyone.
“Be careful, Daniel.””
“Is that a threat?””
“No.””
He smiled.
“It’s advice.””
Before I could respond, Claire walked into the room.
“Daniel, please leave.””
I looked between them.
Something was wrong.
Not just between me and them.
Between them.
Marcus wasn’t angry that I found the drawing.
He was afraid.
“Why are you scared of this picture?”” I asked.
Nobody answered.
Then I noticed something on the desk behind Claire.
A security system folder.
I walked toward it.
Marcus immediately stepped in front of me.
“Don’t.””
That one word changed everything.
Because now I knew.
There was something in that house he didn’t want me to see.
I looked at him.
“Open the security footage.””
His jaw tightened.
“It’s private property.””
“Then I’ll get a court order.””
For the first time, Marcus lost his calm.
And before I left, I heard him whisper something to Claire.
Something he thought I couldn’t hear.
“Did you erase the backup too?””
I stopped walking.
Backup.
My mind raced.
May you like
Because if there was nothing to hide…
Why did they need to erase anything?
