CHAPTER 4: THE FALL OF THE GOLDEN SON
“No,” Preston said quickly. “That’s not—this is taken out of context—”
“There is no context,” Daniel replied calmly.
The video froze on the exact moment Preston’s hand slid the phone into Sophie’s pocket.
Clear.
Undeniable.
My father finally spoke. “Preston… explain.”
But this time, his voice wasn’t commanding.
It was uncertain.
Cracked.
Preston laughed—a sharp, desperate sound. “It was a joke. I was going to fix it. I just—she needed to learn a lesson—”
“She’s eight,” I said.
That was when something shifted.
Not in Preston.
In the room.
The illusion shattered.
The golden son wasn’t glowing anymore.
He was rotting.
Madison stood up slowly, her face white. “You hit a child… to cover a lie?”
Preston reached for her. “Madison, wait—”
She stepped back.
“No.”
May you like
One word.
And just like that, his perfect life began to collapse.
