Chapter 307
The next morning arrived with a jarring noise. Irene’s phone jolted her awake, her hand fumbling across the nightstand.
“It’s Thomas.” His voice sounded tired even through the speaker. “The kid’s refusing to go home. Barely slept a wink. Says he’s too embarrassed to face you–thinks he wrecked your birthday.”
She sat bolt upright. “Is he okay? Where?”
“Better than last night, but wants nothing to do with his family. We’re at a coffee shop downtown. Been here all morning.”
Irene hung up and immediately called Adam.
“I’m coming with you,” he cut her off before she could finish explaining. “Ten minutes. Be ready.”
Soon they were at the downtown coffee shop, looking through the window at Ethan. The teenager sat hunched in the corner, staring at a full, cold cup like it might somehow solve all his problems.
When the bell chimed above the door, his head snapped up. Something like panic flashed across his face as his eyes darted toward the exit. Thomas shifted slightly, casually blocking the escape route.
Adam’s wheelchair stopped beside the table. “Time to come home, kid.”
Irene hung back, recognizing this moment might need a different approach than her usual maternal concern.
Ethan’s laugh held no humor. “Home? That place?” He shook his head. “That’s just a house with people who hate everything I care about.” His eyes found Irene’s. “Things were rough before, but with you there, sis, even the bad stuff felt manageable.”
The raw honesty in his voice made her chest ache.
“And now what–I’m supposed to pretend Anna’s my sister?” Disgust twisted his features. “After what she did? She’s fake to her core, and I honestly don’t get what my parents see in her.”
Irene stepped closer. “Ethan-”
“You’re good to everyone,” he steamrolled over her, voice cracking. “But they treat you like garbage! What did you ever do except work yourself to the bone for them?” His breathing turned ragged. “That’s not a home. I’m not going back there.”
His words hung in the air–the unfiltered truth of a house without warmth, where speaking up meant consequences, where kindness always came with strings attached.
“Ethan…” Irene’s voice softened to nearly nothing.
Something in her tone broke his last defense. Tears spilled down his cheeks. He bit his lip hard, swiping angrily at his face, mortified by his own vulnerability.
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Chapter 307
Adam watched silently, taking in the raw emotion between them.
“You know what your problem is?” he finally said, voice surprisingly gentle,
Ethan looked up, tear tracks still fresh on his cheeks.
“Nobody’s ever taught you the most important lesson.” Adam leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked onto Ethan’s. “When you grow strong enough, you control everything.”
The intensity in his eyes nearly made Ethan flinch.
“Everything,” Adam repeated quietly. “Including your parents.”
Ethan froze, tears forgotten. Something electric had passed between them–a truth that knocked the air from his lungs.
The silence stretched as Adam’s words sank in. Slowly, Ethan looked down at his palm before curling his fingers into a tight fist.
He wasn’t strong enough–not yet. That’s why his sister got hurt while he stood helpless.
When he raised his head, something had fundamentally changed in his eyes. “I’m going to get stronger,” he said, newfound determination hardening his voice. “Thank you.”
Adam acknowledged with the barest nod, approval flickering across his face.
Irene watched in stunned silence. She’d expected a lecture or empty reassurances–not this raw, honest exchange. Adam hadn’t talked down to Ethan or offered meaningless comfort. He’d handed the boy a roadmap to power.
Adam turned, catching her stare. Their eyes locked, and Irene suddenly understood that the two people who mattered most to her had just formed a connection she never could have predicted.
Something shifted in her chest–the pieces of her world rearranging themselves into an entirely new possibility.
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