Chapter 2: What Lena Kept in Her Pocket
Ethan didn't speak for a long time.
He crossed the room slowly, knelt beside Ava, and lifted her off the floor with both arms.
His hands were shaking.
"I've got you," he whispered.
"I've got you."
Lena was still pressed against the wall, one hand covering her cheek.
She didn't move.
She didn't breathe.
Margaret straightened her jacket.
"Ethan.
This isn't what it looks like."
He didn't turn around.
"There are recordings, Mom."
The silence that followed was the loudest thing in the room.
"She was going to take everything from you," Margaret said.
"I was protecting you.
That's all I ever did."
Ethan finally stood up.
When he turned to face her, his expression wasn't angry.
It was something worse.
"The crash," he said quietly.
"The night Ava ended up in this wheelchair."
Margaret's eyes shifted.
"That was an accident."
"Then why is your name in the mechanic's records?"
Her face went completely still.
From across the room, Lena slowly reached into her apron pocket.
She placed a small folded envelope on the desk.
"I've been holding this for two years," she said.
"I was afraid.
But I can't stay quiet anymore."
Ethan looked at the envelope.
Then he looked at his mother.
Margaret took one step backward.
---
What's inside that envelope — and how deep does Margaret's plan really go?
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The full truth is darker than anyone expected.
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