Chapter 6: Shadows of the Past
While the public declaration had temporarily pushed Eleanor back, it opened a floodgate of past secrets. Inside the mansion, Sarah sat in the living room, staring at the news broadcasts broadcasting her face across the country.
"They're calling me a fortune hunter," Sarah said softly, tears welling in her eyes as she watched the commentary on television.
Ethan took the remote and turned off the screen. He sat beside her, taking her hands in his. "It doesn't matter what they call you. What matters is the truth."
"But the truth is complicated, Ethan," Sarah said, looking down. "Eleanor wasn't entirely lying about my past."
Ethan froze. "What do you mean?"
Sarah took a deep breath, her chest heaving as she prepared to uncover a painful memory. "Seven years ago, when I was fired from the gala... Eleanor didn't just throw me out. She had her associates frame me for stealing a diamond necklace belonging to your late mother. I was arrested. I spent three months in jail before the charges were mysteriously dropped due to 'lack of evidence.'"
Ethan’s eyes widened in horror. "She put you in prison? While you were pregnant?"
"I didn't know I was pregnant yet," Sarah wept. "When I got out, I was broke, disgraced, and marked with a criminal record. No respectable company would hire me. That's why I had to work under the table, taking low-paying maid jobs just to feed Leo. I was terrified that if I ever tried to find you, Eleanor would use that record to take Leo away from me, claiming I was an unfit mother."
Ethan felt a crushing wave of guilt and fury. While he was living in luxury, traveling the world, the woman carrying his child was suffering in the dark because of his stepmother's cruelty.
"She used the justice system as a weapon against you," Ethan said, his voice shaking with anger. "She built a cage around you so you couldn't reach me."
"I was so scared, Ethan," Sarah whispered, burying her face in his chest. "I thought if I came forward now, she would do it again. She'll use that old police report to paint me as a criminal."
Ethan wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. "She won't. Because this time, you aren't alone. I have the resources, the power, and the proof to tear her lies apart piece by piece."
Suddenly, the door opened, and little Leo ran in holding a piece of paper. "Mommy, look! I drew our family!"
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The drawing showed three people holding hands under a bright yellow sun: a tall man in a suit, a woman in a bright dress, and a little boy in pajamas.
Ethan looked at the drawing, then at Sarah, his resolve hardening into steel. "We fight," Ethan said softly. "Not just for the Sterling name... but for our family."
