Chapter 6: The Truth Nobody Wanted
Claire walked into the room slowly.
Nobody spoke.
Not Ethan.
Not me.
Not Rachel.
The silence was heavier than any argument we had ever had.
Ethan stared at his mother.
“You knew?””
Claire’s eyes filled instantly.
“Ethan…”
“No.””
His voice was different.
Not angry.
Hurt.
“You knew about the letters?””
Claire looked down.
That was all the answer he needed.
He stepped back.
“How long?””
Claire wiped away a tear.
“Since the beginning.””
Ethan looked at her like he didn’t recognize her.
“You knew he wrote to me?””
“Yes.””
“And you kept them?””
“I thought I was protecting you.””
Ethan laughed quietly.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
His voice cracked.
“Everyone says they were protecting me.””
Claire moved closer.
“I was afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
She looked at me.
Then at Rachel.
Then back at Ethan.
“Afraid you would choose him.””
The words hit the room like a storm.
Ethan stared.
“Choose him?””
Claire nodded.
“I was afraid you would see your father differently.””
“And?””
She swallowed.
“And I was afraid you would stop needing me.””
Ethan looked devastated.
Not because he hated her.
Because he finally understood.
The adults around him had all been carrying their own fears.
And he had been caught in the middle.
“I spent years thinking nobody wanted me.””
Claire started crying.
“Oh, Ethan…”
“But all of you were making decisions for me.””
Nobody argued.
Because he was right.
I stepped forward.
“Ethan…”
He looked at me.
“You too.””
That hurt.
But I listened.
“You knew things.””
“Yes.””
“And you stayed quiet.””
“Yes.””
He shook his head.
“I don’t know who I’m supposed to trust.””
I wanted to answer immediately.
I wanted to tell him I was different.
But I stopped myself.
Because maybe the most important thing I could do was not defend myself.
It was let him feel what he needed to feel.
Rachel quietly placed the box of letters on the table.
“Ethan.””
He looked at her.
“Your father made mistakes.””
She pushed the box toward him.
“Many mistakes.””
Ethan touched the first envelope.
“But he never stopped loving you.””
A tear rolled down Ethan’s cheek.
He quickly wiped it away.
Then his phone rang.
Everyone looked.
The name on the screen made the entire room freeze.
Marcus.
Ethan stared at it.
He didn’t answer.
The phone kept ringing.
Finally, he picked up.
“Hello?””
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Then Ethan’s face changed.
“What do you mean you’re at the hospital?””
Claire stepped forward.
“What happened?””
Ethan lowered the phone slowly.
His voice was barely audible.
“Marcus collapsed.””
The room went silent.
Rachel covered her mouth.
I felt a strange heaviness in my chest.
Because despite everything Marcus had done...
Despite the years of anger...
He was still Ethan’s father.
And now Ethan had to decide something he never expected.
Whether to walk away...
Or show up.
Ethan looked at me.
The boy who had once told me I would never be his father.
May you like
And whispered:
“Will you come with me?””
