Chapter 4 - The Unraveling in Columbus
While Rebecca was enrolling Lily and Ethan in the local school district, the consequences of her departure were beginning to fracture the family she left behind.
In Columbus, her father, Richard, sat in his pristine living room, staring at the front door as if he could still see the wet footprints of his grandchildren on the porch. He had spent his entire life maintaining the appearance of a perfect, orderly household. A divorced, desperate daughter seeking shelter with three children did not fit the narrative of his quiet, dignified retirement.
"Richard, she hasn't called," his wife, Eleanor, said, her voice trembling as she adjusted her blood pressure monitor. "Grant called this morning. He was furious. He said Rebecca took the children and vanished. He’s threatening to cut off our country club membership if we’re hiding her."
Richard’s face tightened. Grant had helped fund Richard’s secondary retirement portfolio through insider investment tips. That was the real reason the door had closed. It wasn't stress. It wasn't space. It was currency.
"She’s being dramatic," Richard muttered, though his hand shook as he picked up his coffee cup. "She’ll come to her senses when the money runs out. She has nowhere else to go."
Meanwhile, in his luxury townhouse, Rebecca’s brother, Daniel, was staring at his phone. He had received an automated legal notice from Vance & Associates. Because Daniel had co-signed a car lease for Grant’s mistress under the guise of a "corporate business expense" through his own real estate firm, he had just been named as a co-defendant in a financial fraud audit.
The phone rang. It was Claire, their sister.
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"Daniel! Have you spoken to Becca?" Claire panicked, her usual condescending tone replaced by pure hysteria. "Her lawyer just served my husband with a subpoena for our text records! Grant is saying he’s going to sue everyone for parental alienation if we don't find out where she is! Why is she doing this to us?"
"Because we didn't open the door, Claire," Daniel said, a sudden, cold weight settling into his stomach. "And I don't think she's coming back."
