Chapter 2 - The Unraveling Lie
"Ethan... darling, it's not what it looks like," Margaret stammered, her regal composure crumbling into panicked fragments. "She was having an episode. She tried to strike me, and she fell—"
"Shut up," Ethan whispered.
He didn't yell. The tone of his voice was far worse than shouting; it was a cold, absolute dead register that made the air in the room freeze.
Ethan dropped to his knees beside Ava, his arms trembling as he gently scooped his wife into his lap. He checked her wrist, feeling her racing pulse, before lifting her head to rest against his chest. Ava leaned into him, sobbing silently, her small fingers clutching the lapel of his suit jacket.
"Lena," Ethan called out, his eyes never leaving his mother. "Call an ambulance. Now."
"No!" Margaret snapped, taking a step forward. "No ambulances, Ethan! Think of the press! Think of the company stock if people see paramedics at the estate!"
"Call them, Lena," Ethan repeated, his voice dangerously low.
Lena scrambled to her feet, pulled her phone from her apron, and sprinted into the hallway to dial emergency services.
Ethan turned his head toward the floorboards. His gaze landed on the white pills scattered under the sunlight. He reached out, picking up one of the unmarked tablets, then picked up the burst prescription bottle. The label was addressed to Ava, prescribed by a doctor Ethan had never heard of, listing a heavy neuro-sedative instead of her daily physical therapy supplements.
"What is this, Mom?" Ethan asked, holding the pill up.
"It's... it's her medication," Margaret lied, her hand going to her throat. "The doctor prescribed it last week to help with her nerve pain."
"Ava doesn't take sedatives," Ethan said, his jaw tightening so hard a muscle twitched near his ear. "I manage her medical charts myself. Who authorized this?"
He didn't wait for an answer. Ethan lifted Ava into his arms, carrying her over to the leather sofa against the wall. He laid her down gently, brushing a tear from her bruised cheek.
"I'm here, Ava," he murmured softly. "You're safe. I swear to God, nobody is ever touching you again."
Ava opened her mouth, her voice barely a breath. "The... the safe, Ethan. Behind the portrait in her study. Check the audio tapes."
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Margaret's eyes widened in sheer horror. She took two steps backward toward the hallway, but Ethan was already moving. He stood up, towering over his mother, blocking the doorway with his frame.
"You aren't leaving this house," Ethan said. "Not until I find out what you've done to my wife."
