Chapter 8 - The Weight of Truth
Eleanor dropped the folder onto the lawn. The white pages spilled across the grass, fluttering against the expensive floral arrangements.
"You monster," Eleanor gasped, her voice barely audible. "You planned this. You tracked our financials for years!"
"I didn't have to plan much, Eleanor," I said smoothly. "Your own greed and arrogance paved the road. I just bought the destination."
I turned my back on Eleanor and knelt down in front of Ethan. He looked up at me, broken, defeated, and realizing the full scale of what he had lost.
"Victoria..." Ethan choked out. "Please. Let me see them. Let me be a father to them. I'll give up the company. I'll leave my mother. Just... let me know my sons."
I looked into the eyes of the man I had once loved with all my heart—the man who had promised to protect me, but surrendered instantly to his mother's command.
"Ethan," I said softly, ensuring the boys couldn't hear us. "Fatherhood isn't a title you claim when your life collapses. It's a responsibility you uphold every single day. Where were you when Liam had a forty-degree fever at two in the morning and I had to walk three miles in the rain to get his medication? Where were you when Noah took his first steps? Where were you when Caleb asked why all the other kids at preschool had fathers?"
Ethan had no answers. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks, dripping onto his silk tie.
"You weren't there," I whispered. "I was. I am their mother and their father. They don't need your money, because I have more than you will ever see again. And they don't need your name, because their last name is Vance."
I stood up and smoothed down my emerald gown.
"I will allow you to petition for visitation through my family attorneys," I added coolly. "But let me be clear: if you or your mother ever attempt to use my children for press coverage, legal leverage, or family redemption, I will strip away every remaining asset you have left, including the clothes on your back."
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"You can't take Eldenwood!" Eleanor screamed suddenly, losing all restraint. She lunged forward, but Marcus placed a solid arm in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "This is my home! The Montgomery family has lived here for a century!"
"You have thirty days to vacate the premises, Eleanor," I said without looking back at her. "I've already signed the paperwork to donate this entire estate to the Chicago Children's Hospital. They'll be converting your grand ballroom into a pediatric recovery center."
