Chapter 7
Eleanor finally marched into the kitchen, slamming her hand down flat on the dining table with a sharp crack that made everyone jump. "This is completely insane!" she shouted, her voice finally breaking the quiet solemnity of the room. "You show up out of nowhere with a sad story, a crumpled photograph, and a deed to a million-dollar home, and we're just supposed to roll out the red carpet? What about the years of collection agencies calling this house? What about the nights Sarah cried herself to sleep while you were out riding with your criminal friends? You don't get to buy your way back into a family reunion just because you finally decided to sober up at age forty-eight!"
Leo flinched at the sudden loudness, pulling his shoulders up toward his ears and looking down at his scuffed sneakers. Jax’s jaw clenched tightly, a muscle ticking violently in his cheek as he fought hard to maintain his composure. He understood Eleanor's anger; it was justified, fierce, and rooted in genuine love and protectiveness for her sister's memory. "You're right, Eleanor," Jax said quietly, his voice dangerously calm in contrast to her fiery outburst. "I don't expect a red carpet. I don't expect forgiveness today, or tomorrow, or even next year. I earned every bit of your hatred. But look at Leo. He didn't earn any of the pain we're arguing about. He just lost his mother, and he's scared."
Martha slowly reached across the table, her fragile fingers resting gently over Eleanor's clenched fist. "Enough, Ellie," Martha murmured, her voice filled with a profound, bone-deep weariness. "Let him speak. We've spent twelve years screaming into the void. Yelling won't bring Sarah back, and it won't help this little boy figure out who he is." Eleanor looked down at her mother-in-law's hand, her chest heaving as she struggled to swallow her bitter resentment. She pulled her hand away sharply, glaring daggers at Jax before turning on her heel and walking out toward the back patio, slamming the glass sliding door behind her with a dull, echoing thud.
