Chapter 17

Ethan didn’t tell Lauren where he was going.

Using information from a cousin who still pitied Patricia, Ethan found the motel. It was a rundown, neon-lit place off Interstate 380. The paint was peeling, and the air smelled of exhaust and damp asphalt.

He walked up to Room 114 and knocked heavily on the door.

A few seconds later, the chain rattled. The door opened a crack, and Patricia looked out.

Ethan gasped inwardly. The proud, immaculate woman from the deposition was gone. Her hair was unwashed, gray roots showing clearly. She wore a stained bathrobe, and her eyes were bloodshot and wild.

“Ethan?” she whispered, a sudden, desperate hope lighting up her face. “You came. You finally realized what she did to us—”

“Shut up, Mom,” Ethan said, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper as he pushed the door open and stepped into the cramped, smoky room.

“Ethan! You can’t just—”

“I am going to say this exactly once,” Ethan said, cornering her against the cheap laminate desk. “You called my wife today. You threatened her.”

“I didn’t threat—”

“If you ever call her again, if you ever breathe in our direction, I will not call the police,” Ethan said, leaning in so close she could see the absolute rage in his eyes. “I will take every recording Melissa gave me, every piece of evidence of your fraud, and I will personally hand it to the District Attorney. I will make sure you spend your sixties in a state penitentiary. Do you understand me? You are dead to me. Noah doesn't have a grandmother named Patricia. You don't have a son.”

Patricia stared at him, her lips trembling. But then, a slow, twisted smile spread across her face. It was the smile of someone who had completely lost their grip on reality.

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“You look just like me when you’re angry, Ethan,” she whispered. “You can pretend you hate me. But my blood runs through your veins. You can’t ever truly lock me out.”

Ethan felt a shiver run down his spine. He backed away from her, disgusted, and walked out into the rain, feeling like he needed to scrub his skin raw.