Chapter 3: The Morning After
Monday morning brought no gentle dawn, only a cold, gray drizzle that tapped persistently against the bedroom windows. Richard sat at the small walnut desk in his home office, surrounded by financial statements, property deeds, and a steaming mug of black coffee that had gone cold hours ago. The events of yesterday hung in the air like smoke. His phone buzzed intermittently against the wood—text messages from Martha demanding an apology, voicemails from Clara threatening to cut him out of the family trust entirely. He ignored them all, deleting each notification without listening.
Upstairs, Arthur was getting ready for school with a strange sense of liberation. He pulled on his navy blue sweater and dark jeans, walking over to the bedroom mirror to check his appearance. The bruises on his hand were darker today, turning a sickly shade of yellow and green around the edges, but he could move his fingers without sharp pain. He packed his canvas backpack, making sure his geometry textbook and sketchpad were securely zipped inside.
When Arthur came down the stairs, he found Richard standing by the kitchen counter, frying two eggs in a clean pan. The old iron skillet from yesterday had been scrubbed clean and hung back up on the rack, though a faint scratch on its base remained as a permanent scar.
"Morning, buddy," Richard said, glancing over his shoulder with a tired smile. "Eggs are almost ready. How's the hand?"
"Better," Arthur said, sliding onto a chair at the table. "Does Grandma really have the power to take away the house?"
Richard turned off the burner and slid the eggs onto two plates, setting one down in front of his son. He sat down opposite Arthur, folding his hands on the table.
"The house is in my name, Arthur. Your grandfather left it to me when he passed away five years ago," Richard explained patiently. "Clara likes to think she owns everything because she's loud and she demands obedience. But she doesn't own us anymore. Not you, and not me."
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"She looked really angry when she fell," Arthur murmured, cutting into his yolk with a fork.
"She was shocked," Richard corrected softly. "People who spend their whole lives controlling others don't know how to handle it when someone finally stands up to them. Eat your breakfast. I'm driving you to school today, and after that, we're going to have a long talk about what comes next for the two of us."
