Chapter 2 - The Visit That Never Ended
Diane arrived twenty minutes after Ethan left for the airport.
She carried two suitcases.
Elena stood in the doorway with Noah against her shoulder.
“What are those?”
“My things.”
“You’re visiting for an hour.”
“Ethan and I decided it would be better if I stayed.”
Elena’s stomach tightened.
“Ethan didn’t tell me that.”
“He didn’t want to upset you before his flight.”
The statement sounded believable because Ethan often avoided conflict with his mother. Still, Elena stepped into the doorway, blocking Diane’s entrance.
“I don’t need anyone staying here.”
Diane’s expression softened with false patience.
“Elena, you’ve hardly slept. You’re not thinking clearly.”
“I’m thinking clearly enough to say no.”
A car door closed behind Diane.
Martin Cole stepped out of a gray sedan. He was Ethan’s uncle and Diane’s younger brother, a quiet man who usually followed Diane’s lead. He removed another bag from the trunk.
Elena looked between them.
“Why is Martin here?”
“To fix the loose railing near the stairs.”
“There is no loose railing.”
Diane entered before Elena could stop her.
Martin followed with the bags.
For the rest of the morning, they moved through the house as if Elena were a guest. Diane opened cabinets, inspected the refrigerator, and criticized the food Ethan had prepared before leaving.
Martin disappeared into the study.
When Elena checked on him, he was kneeling beside the security control unit.
“What are you doing?”
“Your internet keeps dropping.”
“It was working.”
“Diane said the cameras made you nervous.”
“They don’t.”
Martin looked toward the doorway, where Diane was standing.
Diane gave him a small nod.
He unplugged the control unit.
Elena crossed the room.
“Plug that back in.”
“We’re giving you privacy,” Diane said.
“I didn’t ask for privacy.”
Noah began to cry.
Diane immediately reached for him, but Elena turned away.
“I have him.”
“Your hands are shaking.”
“Because two people walked into my house and started disconnecting things.”
“Our family’s house,” Diane corrected.
Elena faced her.
“This house belongs to Ethan and me.”
Diane’s smile vanished.
For several seconds, neither woman moved.
Then Diane spoke softly.
“You have no idea what Ethan sacrificed to maintain this life.”
“And you have no idea what I sacrificed to build it with him.”
Noah’s crying grew louder.
Elena carried him upstairs, locking the nursery door behind her.
She called Ethan, but the call went directly to voicemail. His flight had already taken off.
She left a message.
“Your mother brought luggage. Martin is here too. They disconnected the cameras. Call me as soon as you land.”
An hour later, Diane knocked on the nursery door.
“I made soup.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat.”
“I need you to leave.”
There was silence.
Then Diane’s voice became gentle.
“Ethan asked me to protect his son. I’m not leaving.”
Elena stared at the door.
The wording disturbed her.
Not their son.
His son.
When Ethan finally called from Chicago, Elena answered on the first ring.
“Did you ask your mother to stay here?”
“No. She said she might stay nearby at a hotel.”
“She’s in our kitchen. Her suitcases are downstairs. Martin disconnected the security system.”
“What?”
Diane entered the nursery without knocking. Elena had forgotten to relock the door after changing Noah.
“She’s exaggerating,” Diane said loudly enough for Ethan to hear.
Elena turned away.
“Put the cameras back online and leave.”
“Mom,” Ethan said through the phone, “you were supposed to check in, not move in.”
“I saw the condition of the house. Elena hasn’t eaten. The baby has been crying.”
“Babies cry,” Elena snapped.
Diane lowered her voice.
“She’s becoming agitated.”
Elena felt the trap close around her. The more she defended herself, the more Diane could describe her as unstable.
Ethan sighed.
“Mom, go home tonight.”
“Of course.”
Diane looked directly at Elena while saying it.
After the call ended, she did not pack.
Instead, she sat at the kitchen table and poured herself tea.
“You heard him,” Elena said.
“Yes. I heard my son trying to keep his exhausted wife calm from eight hundred miles away.”
“You’re leaving.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tonight.”
Diane lifted the cup.
“No.”
May you like
It was a simple word, spoken without anger.
That made it worse.
