Chapter 7 - The Breaking of Ethan
Z
The twilight was falling over Denver when Ethan walked up the concrete path of his parents' estate on Oakridge Lane. The once-pristine lawn was overgrown, littered with yellowing leaves and foreclosure notices pinned to the front door.
Inside, the house was dark and silent. Victoria sat in the living room in the dark, clutching a glass of white wine, staring at the empty fireplace.
"Mom?" Ethan called out, his voice hollow.
Victoria turned slowly, her eyes hollow and sunken. "Ethan... baby. You came home. Thank God. That terrible lawyer... she twisted my words today. You have to tell them, Ethan. You have to tell the judge that I was always a loving mother to you."
Ethan walked into the living room. He looked ragged, wearing dirty jeans and an old jacket. He didn't sit down. He stood near the doorway, looking at his mother as if seeing a total stranger.
"The bank seized my truck today, Mom," Ethan said, his voice eerie in its calmness. "Vance Enterprises went into default. My bank accounts are frozen. I had to rent a room in a motel near the highway because I can't pay the lease on our apartment."
"It's Maya's fault!" Victoria insisted, getting up frantically, dropping her wine glass, spilling red liquid across the expensive rug. "She hired that evil lawyer! She's doing this to destroy us!"
"Maya didn't lock herself in a steam room, Mom," Ethan said, his voice rising slightly. "You did. You put a padlock on the door. You wrote that note."
"I did it for you!" Victoria shrieked, grabbing Ethan’s arm. "She was disrespecting you! She was making you soft! I raised you to be a strong man, Ethan, and she was tearing down everything I built!"
Ethan pulled his arm out of her grip with a violent jerk. "You didn't raise me to be a strong man! You raised me to be your puppet! You made me choose between my wife and you every single day, and I was so pathetic, so terrified of your temper, that I let you destroy my life!"
"Ethan, how dare you speak to your mother like that—"
"Arthur is taking a plea deal," Ethan interrupted coldly.
Victoria froze. "What?"
"Dad signed a proffer agreement with the District Attorney an hour ago," Ethan revealed, a bitter smile touching his lips. "He’s testifying against you. He’s going to tell the jury that he told you to open the door, and you refused. He’s going to testify that you deliberately lied to me about Maya’s location so she wouldn't be found."
Victoria’s face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. "That coward! That ungrateful piece of garbage! After everything I did for him!"
"And as for me," Ethan continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a heavy set of brass keys. "I’m done. I went to the police station today. I gave Detective Miller full access to all our text messages, all our family emails, everything."
Victoria gasped, backing away. "You... you betrayed your own mother?"
"You tried to kill my son, Victoria," Ethan whispered, tears finally spilling from his eyes. "You almost made me the father of a dead baby. I am never speaking to you again. When they take you to prison, don't write to me. Don't call me. As far as I'm concerned, my mother died the day Maya went into that room."
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Ethan dropped the house keys onto the hardwood floor. They hit with a sharp, metallic ring that echoed through the empty house.
He turned on his heel and walked out the door, leaving Victoria screaming his name into the darkening night, her voice echoing off the walls of the grand house she was about to lose forever.
