Chapter 8
The Target incident was the final straw. The extended Miller family could no longer pretend it was a minor disagreement.
The next evening, Ethan received an email. It was from his father, Richard. Richard and Patricia had been divorced for ten years, and Richard rarely got involved in family drama, preferring to live a quiet life on his farm outside the city.
‘Ethan,’ the email read. ‘Your mother called me screaming hysterically about restraining orders. We need to talk. Come out to the farm tomorrow morning. Just you.’
Ethan showed the email to Lauren.
“Are you going?” she asked softly, holding Noah in her lap.
“Yes,” Ethan said. “Dad isn’t like Mom. He deserves a face-to-face conversation. But I’m not changing my stance.”
The next morning, Ethan drove out to the countryside. The autumn air was crisp, the cornfields harvested and bare. He pulled up to his father’s old farmhouse. Richard was sitting on the porch, a mug of black coffee in his hand.
Ethan sat in the chair next to him. For a few minutes, neither man spoke.
“Your mother is a difficult woman, Ethan,” Richard finally said, staring out at the fields. “I know that better than anyone. It’s why I left.”
“Then you know why I did what I did,” Ethan said.
Richard sighed, rubbing his rugged face. “I do. But she’s still your mother. And Melissa is your sister. This rift... it’s tearing the family apart. Your aunts are taking sides. Thanksgiving is canceled. It’s a mess, son. Can’t you just swallow your pride, give her a half-hearted apology, and let things go back to normal?”
Ethan looked at his father—a good man who had spent a lifetime choosing peace over conflict, even if it meant letting toxic behavior slide.
“Dad, do you remember why you finally divorced her?” Ethan asked quietly.
Richard flinched slightly, looking away.
“You divorced her because she made you feel like a stranger in your own home,” Ethan continued. “She chipped away at your dignity until you had nothing left. I watched you break. I love you, Dad, but I am not you. I will not let her break Lauren. If keeping the peace means letting my wife drown, then I will choose war every single time.”
Richard sat in silence for a long time. The wind rustled the dead leaves on the porch. Finally, Richard looked at his son, and a slow, sorrowful nod formed.
May you like
“You’re stronger than I was,” Richard murmured. “I wanted to keep the peace. You’re protecting the love. There's a difference.”
Richard stood up, placing a heavy hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “Go home to your wife, son. You don’t owe anyone an apology.”
