Chapter 11 - Breaking Ties With Family Forever
Eleanor reached out a trembling, manicured hand toward Noah as if trying to touch a ghost from her past. “Those eyes...” she whispered, tears finally pooling in her cold, calculated eyes. “He looks exactly like you did when you were seven.”
“He is my son, Mother,” I said, standing up tall to place myself firmly between Eleanor and Noah. “The grandson you pretended didn't exist so you could control my life from behind a desk.”
Noah looked up at me with innocent confusion, tugging gently on the hem of my jacket. “Daddy? Why are you using that loud voice with the lady?” The word Daddy hung in the frosty air of the grand hallway, sounding sweeter than any symphony ever composed.
I looked down at Noah, my heart melting entirely as I realized he had somehow sensed the truth even before anyone explained it to him. “Nothing is wrong, buddy,” I reassured him, kneeling back down to wrap my arms around his small shoulders. “Let’s go home.”
Eleanor let out a sharp, pathetic sob, collapsing onto the velvet bench by the entryway. “Daniel, please... you can’t take him away from me! I am your mother! We can fix this together as a family!”
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“We haven't been a family since the day you decided to play God with my mail,” I replied coldly, standing up and taking Noah’s small, warm hand in mine. “Consider this my final goodbye, Eleanor. You will never see either of us ever again.”
Without looking back, I walked out of the sprawling mansion into the swirling snow, holding my son’s hand tightly as we headed toward the truck. The heavy oak doors slammed shut behind us, sealing the tomb of my mother’s toxic legacy forever.
