Chapter 6

"No... no... I don't believe you. You're still tricking me."

Looking at his pathetic, terrified face, my anger boiled over. "Call the nanny! Call his school! Call your secretary! Anyone can give you the answer!"

I had never yelled at him like this before. He was so terrified that he couldn't even hold his phone.

He fumbled with it until Chloe finally helped him dial the number to Leo's teacher.

Ethan opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It took several prompts from the other end before he could squeak, "Hi, this is Leo's father. Did Leo make it to school today?"

The teacher went silent for a moment. Then, her voice came through, heavy with grief. "Mr. Ethan... please accept my deepest condolences."

"No! That's not true!" Ethan shook his head violently, refusing to accept it.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Ethan. Please stay strong."

The confirmation drained all the color from his face. The phone slipped from his hand, shattering on the ground.

Ethan looked down at the scattered ashes on the floor, his voice cracking.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't even get to see him one last time!"

Even at this moment, he was blaming me. He was still deflecting.

My eyes pierced through him. "Stop acting, Ethan. To you, Chloe is a hundred times more important than your own son."

"I might be an outsider, but Leo was your own flesh and blood!"

Ethan was the one who killed him. If he had just come to the hospital, or even picked up a FaceTime call, Leo wouldn't have died thinking his father hated him.

Ethan bent over, falling to his knees in agony.

Who was this performance for?

I grabbed him by the throat, forcing him to look into my eyes. I whispered every word like poison. "When your son needed you most, you were with Chloe and her dog."