Chapter 17: The Mother I Thought I Knew
I refused to believe it.
I walked out of that building with the photograph still in my hand, but my mind rejected every piece of information.
Claire gave me away.
No.
That couldn’t be true.
The woman who cried when she saw me.
The woman who kept my baby picture.
The woman who spent years searching.
She couldn’t be the person who destroyed my life.
But then again…
How many times had I said the same thing about everyone else?
My father.
My grandfather.
My aunt.
Every person had been impossible.
Until they weren’t.
I went straight to Claire’s apartment.
She opened the door and froze when she saw my face.
“Ethan.””
I held up the photograph.
Her expression changed.
Not confusion.
Fear.
“You found it.””
Those three words broke something inside me.
Because they meant she knew.
“You knew.””
She closed her eyes.
“Please come inside.””
“No.””
My voice shook.
“Not until you answer me.””
She looked exhausted.
“What did you find?””
“You and Robert.””
She stared at the picture.
“I hoped you would never see that.””
The sentence hurt more than any denial.
“Why?””
Tears filled her eyes.
“Because I was ashamed.””
“Of what?””
“Of what I almost did.””
Almost.
That word mattered.
“What does that mean?””
She stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
“I need to tell you something.””
I waited.
“When Robert found out you weren’t his son…”
My heart tightened.
“He was furious.””
Claire looked away.
“He wanted revenge.””
“Against Michael?””
“Yes.””
“Against Daniel?””
“Yes.””
She swallowed.
“And against me.””
I stared.
“So you made a deal.””
Her silence confirmed it.
“What deal?””
Claire’s voice broke.
“I agreed to let Robert take you.””
The world became silent.
I couldn’t move.
“Why?””
She cried.
“Because he threatened Michael.””
I shook my head.
“You told me you were looking for me.””
“I was.””
“You told me you never gave up.””
“I didn’t.””
“Then why?””
She wiped her tears.
“Because I thought I could get you back.””
I stared at her.
“You thought?””
She nodded.
“Robert promised me he would let me see you after things calmed down.””
I laughed.
A painful sound.
“And you believed him?””
“I was desperate.””
I looked away.
The woman standing in front of me was my mother.
But she was also someone who made the choice that changed my entire life.
“Did you ever try to expose him?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Immediately.””
“And?””
“He threatened to destroy you.””
I shook my head.
“Everyone says that.””
“Because it was true.””
Her voice became stronger.
“You don’t understand what Robert was capable of.””
“Then why make the deal?””
“Because I was your mother.””
I froze.
She looked at me through tears.
“I made the worst decision a mother could make.””
Silence.
“I chose a temporary loss over a permanent one.””
I looked at her.
“But you lost me anyway.””
Her face collapsed.
“Yes.””
That answer was the most honest thing anyone had said.
My anger remained.
But so did something else.
Pain.
Because maybe she wasn’t a monster.
Maybe she was just another person who failed me.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From the same unknown number.
A video.
I opened it.
The screen showed Claire.
Years younger.
Holding baby me.
Then Robert appeared beside her.
But there was someone else in the room.
Someone recording.
Someone who had been hidden.
The video ended with a voice saying:
“Tell him the truth, Claire.””
I froze.
Because I recognized the voice.
It belonged to the person who had just revealed everything.
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And the final message appeared:
“The person who started this is coming to finish it.””
