Chapter 4 - The Sound at the Door
The violent rattling of the front door shattered the heavy tension in the foyer. Richard snapped his head away from the incriminating ledger, his hand dropping from the stair banister. Madison’s eyes widened slightly, her hand freezing inside the pocket of her burgundy suit as the heavy oak panels shuddered under a sudden, powerful impact.
"Open up! I know you're in there!" a young man’s voice roared from the porch, muffled by the thick wood. "Let me in right now!"
Leo’s face lit up with a desperate, tear-streaked hope. He scrambled down the remaining steps, ignoring the blood near the white bucket, and sprinted toward the entrance.
"Ethan!" Leo cried out, his voice cracking as he threw his weight against the heavy deadbolt, struggling to turn the brass latch. "Ethan, you came back!"
Richard stepped forward to assist his son, his tall frame cutting a dominant figure as he threw the heavy door open. Standing on the porch was a young man in his early twenties, soaking wet from the pouring rain, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. It was Ethan, Elena’s eldest son from her first marriage, breathing heavily and trembling with rage.
Ethan didn't wait for an invitation. He shoved past Richard, his dark eyes scanning the grand entryway before locking instantly onto Madison.
"Where is she?" Ethan demanded, his voice trembling with barely contained fury as he closed the distance between them in two long strides. "Where is my mother?"
Madison held her ground, lifting her chin with an air of haughty defiance. She smoothed the front of her burgundy suit, her composure miraculously restored.
"Ethan, darling, try to control yourself. This is a family matter, and you are trespassing," Madison said smoothly, though a bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
Ethan ignored her entirely. He turned his gaze down to the floor, spotting the dark crimson streak near the white bucket. A low, guttural sound escaped his throat—a mixture of grief and pure, unadulterated hatred. He dropped to his knees, pressing his fingertips against the damp tile, pulling them back to reveal the smear of fresh blood.
"You did this," Ethan whispered, rising slowly to his full height. He turned his burning gaze back to Richard, who stood frozen near the stairs. "You brought this monster into our home, Richard. You let her destroy everything, and now look what she's done!"
Richard opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His mind was still reeling from the financial numbers in Sarah’s open ledger, and now the horrifying reality of his wife lying bleeding upstairs crashed down on him with crushing force.
"I didn't touch her," Madison interjected, her voice rising in feigned outrage. She pointed a manicured finger at Maria, who was still cowering near the wall. "Ask the maid. It was an accident. She fell."
Ethan let out a harsh, bitter laugh that sounded like breaking glass. He took another step toward Madison, his fist clenched so tight his arm shook.
"Accident?" Ethan sneered. "My mother called me ten minutes ago. She didn't fall. She told me Madison pushed her over the second-floor railing."
The entire foyer went dead silent. Richard slowly turned his head, his wide, horrified eyes fixing entirely on Madison.
May you like
Before Madison could construct another lie, a sharp, metallic sound echoed from the dark hallway behind the kitchen. Someone—or something—was dragging a heavy object across the hardwood floor.
---
