CHAPTER 17: Margaret Strikes First
Margaret did not wait.
By evening, three people had called Ethan.
First, his godfather, Thomas Vail, who sat on the Caldwell Holdings advisory board. He spoke with concern so polished it sounded rehearsed.
“Your mother says Clara suffered a breakdown.”
“She assaulted my wife.”
A pause.
“Families sometimes handle these matters privately.”
Ethan ended the call.
Second came Dr. Holloway, an old family physician Margaret favored. He had not treated Clara, but he suggested a “wellness evaluation” to ensure everyone’s safety.
Ethan asked him whether Margaret had requested that evaluation before or after the police saw the footage.
Dr. Holloway ended the call first.
Third came Adrian Bell.
The lawyer sounded nervous.
“Ethan, I think there has been a misunderstanding.”
“You drafted a document to pressure my wife into handing over authority over my son.”
“It was never meant to be executed without proper review.”
“Then why was my mother in my nursery with it at 8:42 p.m.?”
Silence.
Ethan leaned against June’s kitchen counter, looking out at the dark water beyond the yard.
“I want every communication between your firm and my mother preserved,” he said.
“Ethan—”
“And Adrian? If a single email disappears, I will make sure your partners learn what it costs to help a grandmother stalk an infant through paperwork.”
He hung up.
Clara stood in the doorway behind him.
“You sound like her when you’re angry,” she said softly.
Ethan flinched.
Then Clara crossed the room and touched his hand.
“But you don’t choose what she would choose.”
May you like
That was the first mercy she gave him after the night.
He held onto it like air.
