Chapter 10
Ethan stepped backward, his boots scraping loudly against the concrete floor as if physical distance could protect him from the truth she had just delivered. He shook his head slowly, a bitter, disbelieving laugh escaping his lips. "A test?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low. "Your father played games from the grave, and you're sitting here defending it?" "I'm not defending it!" Claire shouted, finally letting loose the months of pent-up exhaustion and fear. Little Leo stirred in her arms, letting out a soft cry of distress at her raised voice. Claire immediately hushed him, rocking him gently against her chest while keeping her blazing eyes locked on her husband. "My father was a broken, paranoid old man who didn't know how to trust anyone," Claire continued, her voice dropping to a fierce, trembling whisper. "He wanted to protect me, but he went about it in the worst way possible. But you, Ethan? You’re playing right into his hands. You’re letting his cynicism destroy our family." Ethan stood frozen, his calloused hands resting heavily on his tool belt. The anger that had sustained him for the past week suddenly seemed to curdle into something hollow and sickening. He looked at the baby in her arms, then at Claire, seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion etched deep into her features. He realized, with a sudden, crushing wave of guilt, that while he had been nursing his wounded pride, he had abandoned the only two people who truly mattered in the world. "I didn't ask for this, Claire," he said, his voice cracking slightly around the edges. "You think I want to feel like a beggar in my own home? You think it feels good to walk through that front door and feel like I'm trespassing?" "Then stop letting a piece of paper dictate your worth!" Claire demanded, tears finally spilling over her lashes. "If you love me—if you actually love us—the deed shouldn't mean a damn thing. Sign the quitclaim, don't sign it, I don't care anymore. But stop punishing me for something my dead father did!" She turned sharply on her heel, her sneakers squeaking against the dusty concrete as she walked away toward the exit, leaving Ethan standing alone in the center of the cavernous room. The construction workers went back to hammering and drilling, but the sound felt miles away. Ethan stared at the spot where she had stood, the heavy reality of his own stubbornness crashing down on his shoulders with the force of a collapsing wall.
