ASHEFORD MANOR

The cabin door opened without a knock. Richard Asheford stepped inside, flanked by two private investigators and a state trooper. Richard’s designer suit looked absurdly out of place inside the rustic wooden cabin.

""Well, well, Clara,"" Richard said, stepping over the threshold with a cold, disgusted sneer. ""Two years hiding in a shed. You really thought you could steal an Asheford?""

Clara immediately stepped in front of Toby, shielding him behind her body. ""He isn't a property, Richard! He’s a human being, your son!""

""He is my legal dependent,"" Richard corrected smoothly. ""And you are a criminal. Officer, arrest her.""

The state trooper moved forward, reaching for his handcuffs. Toby screamed, holding onto Clara’s waist from behind. ""No! Leave her alone! Clara, don't let them take you!""

""Toby, stand back!"" Richard commanded sharply. ""You're coming home. Your mother and I have spent two years dealing with the mess you caused.""

Toby didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped out from behind Clara, leaning on his cane, his small chest heaving with rage and fear. ""I'm not going with you! You left me in the fire! Clara saved me!""

Richard paused, momentarily taken aback by the boy standing on his own feet. The media had reported him permanently bedridden. But Richard’s cold expression quickly hardened again. ""It doesn't matter what you want. You are a minor.""

The trooper clicked the handcuffs around Clara’s wrists. Tears spilled down Clara’s cheeks, not from fear of prison, but from the sight of Toby sobbing frantically as the investigators pulled him away from her.