Chapter 5 - The Envelope from the Past
Ethan hesitated, his hand hovering in the air between them. The heavy cream-colored paper looked entirely out of place in the sterile, institutional gray of the maternity ward. It bore the embossed crest of the Sterling family, the very dynasty he was supposed to marry into in less than an hour.
"What is this?" Ethan asked, his voice barely a murmur.
"Read it," Clara said, her voice devoid of sympathy. "And then tell me if you're still in a rush to put on that ring."
Ethan took the envelope. The paper was cool to the touch. He slid his thumb under the wax seal, breaking it with a dry crack. He unfolded the thick stationery, his eyes scanning the elegant, fountain-pen cursive penned by Arthur Sterling himself—his prospective father-in-law, mentor, and the man who controlled half the commercial real estate in the city.
“Ethan,” the letter began. “If you are reading this, it means Clara’s delivery went according to schedule. We have known about the child for three months. Madeleine loves you, but our family does not tolerate loose ends or inheritance complications. Your presence at the altar today was always a test of your ruthlessness. You passed by abandoning them, or so I hoped. If you walked out of that church for the brat, your corporate accounts are frozen, your partnership is terminated, and you are a ruined man before sundown. Choose wisely.”
The paper trembled violently in Ethan’s hands. The room spun slightly, the fluorescent lights blurring into long streaks of white. He looked up from the letter, his face drained of all color, staring at Clara with a look of absolute horror.
"You... you knew," Ethan choked out.
Clara nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. "Arthur Sterling is a very thorough man, Ethan. He didn't want a son-in-law with baggage. He wanted a puppet."
Before Ethan could process the betrayal, the harsh ring of a smartphone echoed through the small room. Clara’s phone, resting on the bedside table, lit up with an incoming call. The caller ID flashed a single, terrifying name: Arthur Sterling.
Clara looked at the glowing screen, then raised her eyes to meet Ethan’s terrified gaze, her expression hardening into a challenge.
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"Answer it, Ethan," Clara whispered, sliding the phone across the tray toward him. "Tell him where you are."
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