Chapter 44 - Ethan's Pivot
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The clinic was relatively quiet on a late Friday afternoon when a sharp knock echoed on my office door. Ethan poked his head inside, looking unusually serious.
"Do you have a minute, Mom?" he asked, stepping into the room and closing the heavy door behind him.
"Of course, Ethan. Always. Sit down," I smiled, pushing my massive stack of administrative paperwork aside. "Is everything okay? You look incredibly tense."
Ethan sat heavily in the leather chair opposite my desk, running a hand nervously through his dark hair.
"I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about my future," Ethan began, taking a deep, fortifying breath. "I know I’ve been on the business and finance track for the last three years. I know that was always the grand plan."
"It was Daniel's plan for you," I corrected him gently. "It doesn't have to be yours."
"That’s exactly it," Ethan said, leaning forward intensely. "I don't want to manage corporate portfolios or build a massive financial empire. I saw firsthand what that ruthless pursuit of wealth did to this family. It destroyed my biological mother, and it almost completely destroyed you."
"What do you want to do, Ethan?" I asked, giving him my absolute, undivided attention.
"I want to change my major to pre-law," he stated firmly, a fierce, determined light burning in his eyes. "I want to become a prosecutor. I want to spend my life putting away arrogant, untouchable men who think they can use their money to abuse and silence innocent people. I want to protect women like you and Caroline."
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Tears instantly pricked my eyes. I stood up, walked around the desk, and pulled my brilliant, brave son into a massive hug.
"Ethan, that is the most incredibly noble thing I have ever heard," I whispered fiercely. "I am so incredibly proud of you. And Caroline would be too."
