CHAPTER 5: Unearthing the Past
Determined to protect his family and his career, Julian spent the entire night preparing the structural presentation for the bridge project. But as he worked late into the dark hours, a lingering question nagged at his mind: Why was his mother so obsessed with absolute control? Why did she hate Claire with such visceral intensity?
The next morning, while Claire was resting, Julian decided to visit someone he hadn't spoken to in nearly ten years—his estranged aunt, Eleanor.
Eleanor was Evelyn’s younger sister. A quiet, gentle woman who had been completely cut off from the family years ago after a bitter dispute over their father’s estate. She lived in a modest wooden cottage on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by untamed gardens.
When Julian pulled into her driveway, Eleanor was outside watering her roses. She froze as she saw him step out of the car.
""Julian...?"" she said, her voice shaking slightly as she set the watering can down. ""Is that really you?""
""Hi, Aunt Eleanor,"" Julian smiled softly. ""It’s been a long time.""
Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Eleanor’s sunlit kitchen, drinking tea. The house smelled of lavender and old paper—a stark contrast to Evelyn’s sterile, hyper-modern mansion.
""I heard you got married and had a baby boy,"" Eleanor said kindly, looking at him with warm eyes. ""I wanted to send a gift, but... well, you know how your mother is. She threatened to sue me if I made contact with you.""
""I know,"" Julian said quietly. ""And I'm sorry I let her keep us apart for so long. But I'm here today because I need answers, Eleanor. Why is she like this? Why does she crush anyone who tries to be independent?""
Eleanor sighed deeply, holding her teacup with both hands. She stared into the dark liquid for a long moment before speaking.
""Your mother wasn't always just arrogant, Julian. She is driven by deep, unyielding fear and pride,"" Eleanor began. ""When your father was alive, he was a gentle man, much like you. But thirty years ago, before you were born, your father had a severe nervous breakdown. He spent six months in a psychiatric care facility.""
Julian gasped softly. ""My father? But... Mom always told us he was a high-powered executive who died of a sudden heart attack!""
""That was the story she invented to protect her social standing,"" Eleanor revealed. ""To Evelyn, weakness is a crime. Human vulnerability is an embarrassment. When your father showed weakness, she didn't support him; she took complete legal control of his assets, locked him away in a private clinic, and forced him into compliance until the day he died of heart failure brought on by stress.""
Julian felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The pattern was identical.
""She sees Claire’s illness—her fainting, her postpartum struggle—as a repetition of your father’s 'weakness,'"" Eleanor continued quietly. ""She believes that if she lets Claire show vulnerability, it will ruin the image of the perfect family she spent forty years constructing. She wants to break Claire, just like she broke your father, so that she can control you and Noah.""
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The realization hit Julian like a thunderbolt. Evelyn wasn't just being a difficult mother-in-law. She was repeating a cycle of psychological tyranny that had destroyed his father decades ago.
""Thank you, Eleanor,"" Julian said, standing up with renewed, burning clarity. ""You just gave me the key to stopping her.""
