Chapter 4 - The Tactical Retreat"We are leaving. Now."
I didn't wait for her to argue. I grabbed the suitcase I had left by the door, threw in a few essentials, and scooped Clara into my arms. She was so light, so fragile, that it terrified me. As I carried her through the living room, I noticed the front door lock was bypassed—not broken, but professionally picked. My mother hadn't just barged in; she had planned this as a precision strike.
I got Clara into the car, her breathing steadying as we pulled away from the apartment complex. I was driving toward the hospital, but my mind was spinning on how to handle the woman who had birthed me and then tried to destroy my family.
"Ethan," Clara said, her voice stronger. "She has the evidence. Even if it's fake, she has the legal leverage to ruin your career. If we just go to the police, she’ll frame it as a family dispute. She’s too clever."
"She thinks she’s clever," I muttered. "But she’s underestimated two things. One, she underestimated how much I love you. And two, she underestimated how much dirt I have on her own finances."
I had been keeping a secret from my mother for years. I knew she was gambling her fortune away in underground high-stakes games. I had been quietly tracking her accounts, waiting for a reason to cut her off. I didn't want to use it, but she had forced my hand.
"We aren't going to the hospital yet," I said, changing my direction.
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"What? Ethan, I'm in pain!"
"I know, baby. I'm taking you to my brother's house. He's a federal prosecutor. He’s the only one she can’t bribe."
