Chapter 3 - Whispers sweep across the lavish Manhattan ballroom while stunned guests watch the young boy cling tightly to the terrified maid dressed in her burgundy uniform today.
Prominent senators, Wall Street executives, and high-society socialites crowded closer, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.
"Isn't that the woman Ethan divorced five years ago before she mysteriously vanished into thin air?" a whispered voice echoed from table four.
"She was supposed to be paid off and sent across the Atlantic," another guest murmured behind a gloved hand with malicious curiosity.
Vanessa’s face flushed a furious, mottled crimson as she realized the absolute humiliation unfolding in front of New York's elite.
"Marcus! Get this incompetent maid and her brat out of my sight immediately!" Vanessa shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at Clara.
Head security guard Marcus stepped forward from the shadows, his expression conflicted as he looked toward Ethan for final instructions.
Ethan raised a single hand, signaling Marcus to halt while his eyes remained locked onto the small boy clutching Clara's skirt.
"Daddy, why is everyone calling Mommy the maid?" Leo whispered softly, his big brown eyes looking up with heartbreaking innocence.
May you like
The raw pain in the boy's voice struck Ethan like a physical blow, awakening emotions he had spent half a decade burying deep inside.
---
Related Stories
