Chapter 3 - The Broken Picture
The east wing of the Brooks Estate remained exactly as I had left it six years ago.
The ivory silk curtains, the white marble fireplace, even the small oil painting of white roses I had bought at a flea market during our honeymoon hung in the center of the sitting room. Nothing had been moved. Nothing had been dusted away. It was a time capsule preserved by a grieving man.
Dr. Aris, a kind elderly pediatrician who had served the Brooks family for thirty years, completed Theo’s preliminary examination inside the luxurious guest suite.
"He's in excellent health, Ethan," Dr. Aris reported, smiling as he patted Theo’s head. "Strong lungs, normal reflexes, slightly underweight for a five-year-old, but proper nutrition will fix that in a month."
"Thank you, Doctor," Ethan said, nodding to Marcus, who escorted the physician out.
Theo was sitting on the edge of the massive king-sized bed, wearing a set of brand-new silk pajamas that had been rushed to the estate by a luxury children's boutique within forty minutes of our arrival. He was staring intensely at a framed photograph sitting on the bedside table.
It was a photo of Ethan and me on a sailboat in Amalfi, taken two months before I vanished. I was laughing, my dark hair blowing across my face, and Ethan was looking at me as if nothing else in the universe existed.
"Mommy," Theo said, pointing his small finger at the photo. "Why are you in that picture with the tall mister?"
I sat down beside him on the bed, my heart aching as I ran my fingers through his dark curls.
Ethan stepped into the room, standing at the foot of the bed. He looked stripped of his corporate armor, having shed his suit jacket and tie, rolling his white shirt sleeves up to his elbows.
"Theo," Ethan said, walking over and kneeling on the floor beside the bed so he was at eye level with our son. "Six years ago, your mommy and I had to be apart for a little while. I didn't know you were coming into the world. If I had known... I would have searched every corner of the earth to find you."
Theo looked at Ethan’s face, then looked down at the photograph, then back at Ethan’s gray eyes.
"Are you really my dad?" Theo asked softly. "Jimmy at my old school said my dad was an astronaut who lived on Mars."
Ethan let out a quiet, breathless laugh, a tear glinting in the corner of his eye. "No, buddy. I'm not an astronaut. But I can buy you a telescope so we can look at Mars together tonight if you want."
Theo’s eyes lit up with unadulterated childhood wonder. "A real telescope?! A big blue one?!"
"The biggest one they make," Ethan promised, reaching out gently. This time, Theo didn't pull away. He let Ethan wrap his large hand around his small shoulder, pulling him into a gentle, protective embrace.
I watched them from the edge of the bed, my hands trembling in my lap.
Part of me wanted to fall into Ethan’s arms and let the exhausted weight of six years of poverty, fear, and solitude wash away. But a deeper, darker part of me remembered the poison of the Brooks family. I knew that in the world of high finance and ancient wealth, a sudden heir wasn't just a joy—it was a battleground.
Suddenly, Ethan’s personal phone buzzed sharply on his belt. He checked the caller ID, his expression instantly darkening into a mask of pure cold rage.
He stood up, kissing Theo’s forehead softly. "Stay with your mother for a few minutes, Theo. I need to handle something."
Ethan walked out to the balcony, sliding the heavy glass door shut behind him. I watched through the glass as he answered the call.
May you like
His posture was rigid, his jaw set like granite. I couldn't hear his words, but I could read his lips through the glass:
"If my uncle Richard steps foot on this property, shoot him."
