Part 4: The End of Comfort
Ethan set the ruined bottle on the table.
Then he spoke.
“You’re all leaving.”
Vanessa laughed. “Okay, now you’ve officially lost it.”
“I mean it.”
Courtney shook her head. “Where are we supposed to go?”
Ethan didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t know. But it won’t be here.”
Diane stepped forward, furious now. “This is your family. You don’t throw your family out over something this small.”
Ethan’s voice turned ice cold.
“You risked my wife’s life. You risked my child’s life.”
He looked directly at his mother.
“And you call that small.”
Diane opened her mouth—but nothing came out.
Ethan walked to the hallway closet, pulled out suitcases, and dropped them onto the floor.
“Pack what you need. You have one hour.”
Madison started crying. “This is insane!”
Vanessa tried a different tactic. “Ethan, come on… you’re just stressed. You’ll regret this.”
Ethan shook his head slowly.
“No. I regret not doing this sooner.”
For the first time, Diane looked uncertain.
“You’d really choose her over your own blood?”
Ethan didn’t hesitate.
“She is my family.”
That was the moment everything broke.
The illusion.
The control.
May you like
The entitlement.
Gone.
