Chapter 4: The Confrontation at the Manor
They didn't call. They just drove to Eleanor’s estate, the wrought-iron gates swinging open to the sight of the woman who had been the architect of their misery. Eleanor was on the patio, sipping tea, looking as though nothing had happened.
"You're here to apologize," Eleanor said, not even looking up.
"We’re here to end it," Mark said, his voice steady. He laid the documents on the glass table.
Eleanor’s cup rattled against the saucer. She looked at the papers, her eyes darting over the names, the dates, the signatures. For the first time in his life, Mark saw his mother tremble. It wasn't the trembling of a woman who had been slapped; it was the trembling of a woman who had been caught.
"You don't understand the pressures I was under," she began, her voice cracking. "The family was bankrupt! I had to save us!"
May you like
"You didn't save us," Mark said, his voice heavy with grief. "You destroyed us. You turned your own grandson into a weapon, and you tried to erase the existence of a little girl who has done nothing but love you."
Elena stepped forward, her presence towering over the seated woman. "The police are already in possession of the digital copies, Eleanor. The social worker for Sophie’s adoption file is being contacted. Your reign of terror ends here."
