Chapter 5 - What Ethan Had Forgotten
Ethan moved toward the door.
Daniel grabbed his shoulder.
“No.”
Ethan shrugged him off.
“She wants me.”
“That’s why you don’t go.”
“She has answers.”
“She has traps.”
I stepped between them.
“Both of you stop.”
Ethan looked at me.
“My son was poisoned.”
“I know.”
“My mother did the same thing to me.”
“We don’t know that yet.”
He held up the file.
“Yes, we do.”
“We know she wrote notes.”
“She experimented on me.”
His voice broke on the final word.
It was the first time I understood the deepest thing about Ethan Blackwood.
He didn’t remember being weak.
He remembered becoming hard.
Perhaps that was the point.
Eleanor had taught him strength by first manufacturing helplessness.
I looked toward the open doorway.
“We don’t let her control the next move too.”
Daniel nodded.
“We send a camera.”
Ethan hated it.
But agreed.
A small surveillance drone entered.
The room beyond appeared empty.
Chair.
Desk.
Old medical equipment.
A tape recorder.
No Eleanor.
Daniel scanned.
“No heat signature.”
Ethan entered with us.
The tape recorder clicked automatically.
Eleanor’s voice played.
“If you’re hearing this, then Mara Ellis has ruined years of careful work.”
Ethan looked at me.
The recording continued.
“She was always too observant.”
My skin went cold.
She had noticed me.
Long before I noticed her.
“Noah was never meant to die,” Eleanor said.
“He was meant to learn limitation.”
Ethan’s fists clenched.
“A Blackwood boy raised without fear becomes reckless. You were reckless before I corrected you. Your son was becoming the same.”
I looked at Ethan.
He had gone pale.
“She thinks she helped you.”
He didn’t answer.
The recording continued.
“Pain made you disciplined. Weakness made you dependent. Recovery made you grateful. Eventually you became the man capable of protecting this family.”
Ethan whispered, “Monster.”
Then Eleanor said something worse.
“Noah was responding beautifully until Mara interfered.”
I felt nausea rise.
“She was tracking him.”
Daniel examined the equipment.
“Remote cameras.”
Several feeds appeared on a dark monitor.
Noah’s bedroom.
Playroom.
Therapy room.
Kitchen.
Someone had watched everything.
Every stumble.
Every tear.
Every time Noah asked why his legs didn’t work.
Ethan drew his gun.
“Where is she?”
The recording continued.
“You will want to punish me. That is predictable. But first ask yourself why none of your doctors recognized the symptoms.”
We looked at each other.
Daniel immediately said, “There are others.”
Exactly.
Eleanor could not have done this alone.
Doctors had examined Noah.
Specialists.
Lab technicians.
Someone had lied.
Maybe several people.
The tape stopped.
A printer suddenly activated.
One sheet emerged.
A list of names.
Dr. Samuel Reed.
Dr. Andrew Keller.
Nurse Pauline Grant.
Daniel Cross.
We all stared at the last name.
I looked at Daniel.
Ethan slowly turned.
Daniel did not move.
“That’s not what it looks like.”
Ethan raised his gun.
“Explain.”
“I can’t.”
“Try.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“I don’t know why my name is there.”
“You authorized Noah’s medication.”
“Yes.”
“You knew the refill dates.”
“Yes.”
“You had access to the tunnels.”
“Yes.”
“I trusted you.”
Daniel looked hurt.
Real hurt.
“I know.”
“Give me your weapon.”
Daniel hesitated.
Then handed it over.
“Phone too.”
He obeyed.
I watched him.
Something didn’t fit.
If Daniel were involved, why help us uncover the medicine?
Why point out the refill discrepancy?
Why chase the trail?
Unless he was controlling what we saw.
“Ethan,” I said.
“Not now.”
“Think.”
“I am thinking.”
“No. You’re reacting.”
His gaze cut toward me.
I continued anyway.
“Eleanor knew we’d find this room.”
“Yes.”
“She prepared the recording.”
“Yes.”
“She prepared the names.”
Ethan’s eyes shifted toward the paper.
“She wants you to distrust everyone.”
Daniel said nothing.
I pointed at the list.
“If Daniel helped her, why put his name there?”
“To punish him?”
“Or frame him.”
Ethan lowered the gun slightly.
Daniel exhaled.
Then the lights went out.
Everything became black.
A door slammed.
Daniel shouted, “Down!”
I dropped.
A gunshot exploded.
Then another.
Emergency lights flickered red.
Ethan was on the floor beside me.
Daniel had disappeared.
“Daniel?”
No answer.
We heard running.
Ethan chased it.
I followed despite every sensible instinct.
The corridor split.
A door opened above.
Daniel’s voice echoed.
“She’s moving!”
We reached stairs.
At the top, night air hit us.
Eleanor stood beside a car.
She was elegant even while fleeing.
Gray coat.
Silver ring.
No panic.
She looked at Ethan.
“My son.”
He raised the gun.
“Stop.”
She did.
Daniel emerged behind us.
Eleanor smiled.
“You brought him.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“You put his name on the list.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because doubt keeps men alive.”
“You poisoned Noah.”
“I trained Noah.”
“You almost killed him.”
“No.”
“You weakened his breathing.”
“A dosage error.”
Ethan’s face changed.
“An error?”
“Yes.”
“Like Sophie?”
For the first time, Eleanor’s expression shifted.
“Sophie betrayed this family.”
“So you killed her.”
“She made a choice.”
Ethan raised the gun higher.
Noah’s words echoed in my mind.
Don’t hurt Grandma.
Promise?
Ethan had promised.
I stepped closer.
“Ethan.”
“Stay back.”
“She wants you to do this.”
He didn’t answer.
Eleanor smiled faintly.
“Mara understands you better than you think.”
I looked at her.
“You don’t understand him at all.”
Her smile faded.
“You made him afraid and called it strength.”
“I made him survive.”
“You made him lonely.”
That landed.
Ethan’s hand trembled.
Eleanor looked at me with contempt.
“You’re a temporary employee.”
“No.”
Ethan finally spoke.
“She’s the reason Noah is alive.”
Eleanor’s eyes narrowed.
“And that is precisely why she became dangerous.”
Daniel moved sideways.
“Eleanor, step away from the car.”
She ignored him.
“I gave this family everything.”
Ethan’s voice was quiet.
“You took everything.”
For the first time, Eleanor looked old.
“You’ll understand someday.”
“No.”
“I thought the same thing about my father.”
Ethan froze.
“What?”
She smiled.
“You think I invented the method?”
Silence.
Then she opened the car door.
Daniel moved.
Eleanor reached inside.
Ethan fired.
The bullet struck the door.
Not her.
She disappeared behind the car.
Daniel rushed forward.
We found no weapon.
Instead Eleanor held a small remote.
Her thumb rested over a button.
Daniel stopped.
“What does that control?”
She smiled.
“The west wing.”
My blood turned cold.
Noah was in the west wing.
Ethan took one step.
Eleanor pressed the button.
Somewhere in the distance, Ethan’s phone began ringing.
Victoria’s name flashed across the screen.
He answered.
May you like
Her screaming voice came through immediately.
“Ethan, there’s smoke outside Noah’s room.”
