Chapter 5 - MY WIFE LEFT ME MORE THAN TWO CHILDREN
The next morning, I moved my daughters to a secure property outside Houston.
I hated doing it.
They hated it more.
Avery asked whether they were being punished.
Sophie asked if Clara could come.
I said yes.
That was the first decision I made without thinking about business.
Clara came.
For the first time, I saw my daughters smile as they entered the safe house.
I stood outside.
Daniel approached.
"We found Patricia."
"Where?"
"She left town."
I closed my eyes.
"Find her."
"We're trying."
"And Victor?"
"Still missing."
I looked through the window.
Clara was sitting on the floor with the girls.
She was reading a children's book.
For some reason, the sight made me think of Madeline.
That afternoon, Clara came outside.
"Ethan."
I looked at her.
"Why did you stay?"
"Because I promised Madeline."
"Even after she died?"
"Especially after."
"Why?"
Clara sat beside me.
"Because she believed you could become a different man."
I laughed bitterly.
"She was wrong."
"No."
She looked at me.
"You're already becoming one."
I stared at her.
"You knew her well."
"She saved my life."
"What happened?"
Clara looked toward the trees.
"I was nineteen. My father was involved with Victor Hale."
I waited.
"My father owed him money. When he couldn't pay, Victor threatened my family."
"Madeline helped you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because that's who she was."
I felt something painful in my chest.
I had spent two years mourning the woman I thought I knew.
Now I was learning that I had known only pieces.
That evening, Clara gave me an envelope.
"Madeline left this with me."
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Ethan,
If you're reading this, then I failed to tell you the truth while I was alive.
I was never afraid of your enemies. I was afraid of what your family would do if they knew what I discovered.
Your father did not build his empire alone. Victor Hale helped him.
When your father wanted out, Victor refused.
After your father died, Victor believed you belonged to him.
You don't.
Neither do the girls.
I continued.
I left because I wanted to break the cycle.
I wanted our daughters to grow up without learning that love means fear.
My vision blurred.
If Clara is with you, trust her. She knows the part of my story I couldn't tell you.
Then the final line:
And Ethan, if you ever love someone again, don't make her prove she can survive your world. Build a world she doesn't have to survive.
I folded the letter.
Clara was watching me.
"She loved you," she said.
I nodded.
"I know."
"Do you love her?"
I looked toward the sky.
"I always will."
Clara nodded.
"Then don't waste what she left behind."
That night, something changed between us.
Not romance.
Not yet.
Something quieter.
Trust.
At 11:42 p.m., the security system triggered.
Every light went red.
Daniel shouted from the hallway.
"Intruder!"
I ran toward the girls' room.
The door was open.
The beds were empty.
My heart stopped.
"Where are they?"
Then I heard laughter.
From the kitchen.
I ran there.
The girls were with Clara.
Safe.
But there was someone else.
Patricia stood in the doorway.
Hands raised.
"I need to talk."
I aimed my gun.
"You have ten seconds."
May you like
She looked at me.
"I know where Victor is."
