Chapter 6 - The Exit in the Rain
The fifteen minutes passed in a blur of frantic packing and ugly recriminations. Brooke was weeping openly now, stuffing her designer clothes into a mismatched duffel bag while her baby wailed in the background. Vivian was cursing under her breath, trying to protect her silk scarf from the light drizzle that had started to fall outside.
Richard stood by the front door, two small suitcases at his feet. He looked small now, the expensive navy suit looking suddenly oversized on his slumped shoulders.
"Amanda," he said, his voice dropping into a desperate, pleading tone. "Think about Ethan. He needs a father. We can go to counseling. I made a mistake... Brooke meant nothing to me, it was just... I felt overwhelmed."
Brooke froze, a pair of shoes in her hand, looking at him with utter betrayal. "Richard? What did you just say?"
"Shut up, Brooke!" Richard snapped, turning on her with venom. "If you hadn't insisted on coming here this weekend, none of this would have happened!"
I stood at the top of the stairs, Ethan holding my hand, his little body warm and clean now. I looked at the man I had spent five years trying to please, the man who had looked at my son on the floor and told him he didn't belong.
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"Ethan has a family, Richard," I said, my voice echoing clearly down the grand hallway. "He has me. And he has the memory of a grandfather who actually built something instead of stealing it. Now get out of my house."
The security guards moved forward, picking up their suitcases and ushering the three of them out into the dark, rainy night. The heavy oak front door clicked shut, the automatic deadbolts sliding into place with a sound of absolute finality.
