Chapter 3 - THE DEMAND FOR ANSWERS
The room felt entirely devoid of oxygen.
Vanessa stepped backward toward the front entry, her composed facade beginning to fracture under the sheer, suffocating silence radiating from Ethan’s broad frame. The sunlight outside had faded into a cold, bruised purple twilight, casting long shadows across the living room floor.
"Ethan... listen to me," Vanessa stammered, her hands hovering nervously near her pockets. "I was only helping you. Since your sister passed away, those kids have had no discipline. You're gone twelve hours a day! Someone had to set boundaries—"
Ethan slowly stood up.
He didn't yell. He didn't rush forward. He rose with the slow, terrifying deliberation of an avalanche beginning its descent. He towered over the room, his rugged square jaw set like poured concrete, his blue-gray eyes dark and hollow with an emotion far past rage.
"Noah," Ethan said, his voice flat, low, and smooth. "Take Lily into your bedroom. Lock the door from the inside and do not open it until I call your name. Do you understand?"
"Daddy..." Noah whimpered, looking up at his father's back.
"Go, buddy," Ethan repeated quietly. "Take care of your sister."
Noah grabbed Lily's hand, pulling his trembling five-year-old sister toward the carpeted stairs. Lily clutched her stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest, her pale-yellow dress trailing behind her as Noah guided her up to the second floor. A moment later, the sharp click of a brass deadbolt echoed down from the top of the stairs.
Ethan turned slowly to face Vanessa.
Vanessa swallowed hard, her sharp chin lifting in a desperate attempt to maintain control. "You can't talk to me like this, Ethan. I am the legal guardian appointed by the estate board until the probate hearing next week. I have a court mandate to supervise this household."
Ethan walked over to the sofa. He reached down, picked up the thick leather belt, and held it up between them.
"Where did you get this?" Ethan asked quietly.
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"That’s... that belonged to your father," Vanessa stammered, taking another half-step back toward the front door. "I found it in the study."
"And the padlock on my basement door?" Ethan asked, his light stubble catching the dim overhead light. "Where did you get that?"
