Chapter 6: The Uninvited Guest
Ethan picked up the phone, tapping the notification to open the live feed. His jaw tightened.
Standing on their newly painted front porch, dressed immaculately in a beige trench coat and holding a large gift bag, was Eleanor. She looked impatient, tapping her designer heel against the welcome mat.
"Who is it?" Claire asked, noticing the shift in Ethan's posture.
Ethan turned the screen toward her. Claire's smile instantly vanished, replaced by a tense, wary expression. Her instinct was to retreat, to take Leo into the bedroom and hide, but Ethan caught her hand.
"Don't move. You don't have to hide in your own home," Ethan said softly.
On the screen, Eleanor reached into her purse and pulled out her old, brass spare key. She confidently slid it into the newly installed deadbolt and tried to turn it. The key wouldn't budge. She frowned, jiggling it violently. Still nothing.
Realization dawned on her face. Her lips thinned into an angry line, and she aggressively jabbed the illuminated button of the new doorbell camera. The chime echoed through the house.
Ethan tapped the microphone icon on his screen, activating the two-way audio.
"Can I help you?" Ethan's voice crackled out of the doorbell speaker on the porch.
Eleanor jumped slightly, looking directly into the camera lens. "Ethan? Let me in. My key isn't working. You must have broken the lock."
"The lock isn't broken. It's new," Ethan replied, his voice devoid of any warmth. "I told you three weeks ago to get out and not come back. That wasn't a suggestion."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ethan, stop being so dramatic!" Eleanor huffed, looking around as if the neighbors were judging her. "I brought some things for my grandson. I am his grandmother, and you are not keeping me from him over a petty misunderstanding."
"It wasn't a misunderstanding. It was abuse," Ethan stated firmly, loud enough for her to hear clearly over the speaker. "You endangered my wife. You have no rights here. Take your gift bag and leave."
"I am your mother!" Eleanor yelled at the camera, her polished facade finally cracking. "You cannot treat me this way! Open this door right now!"
"If you don't step off my property in the next ten seconds, I'm calling the police and having you cited for trespassing," Ethan warned, his tone deadly serious. "Ten. Nine."
Eleanor stared at the camera, her face flush with a mix of fury and disbelief. She waited, calling his bluff.
"Eight. Seven. Six."
Seeing that he wasn't stopping, and realizing she had completely lost control over him, Eleanor let out a loud scoff of disgust. "You'll regret this," she spat at the lens.
She spun on her heel, marching down the driveway and getting into her sedan. Ethan and Claire watched the screen as her brake lights flared and she sped off down the street.
Ethan exhaled, locking his phone and setting it face down on the counter. He looked at Claire, expecting to see tears or panic. Instead, she was smiling.
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"Grilled cheese is getting cold," she said, picking up her plate.
Ethan laughed, a genuine, hearty sound that filled the kitchen. The dragon had knocked at the castle gates, and for the first time in his life, Ethan hadn't let it in.
