Chapter 1: The Doorway
“Mom?””
The word barely reached Emily Moretti before she saw him.
She had spent months believing the hardest part of coming home would be facing the husband who had stopped answering her calls.
She was wrong.
The hardest part was seeing her nine-year-old son sitting beside a dog kennel in the backyard, filthy, trembling, and wrapped in a blanket that looked like it had been dragged through mud.
Emily stood frozen beneath the mansion's garden doors.
Then she ran.
Her suitcase dropped somewhere behind her.
“Ethan!””
The boy scrambled to his feet.
“Mom!””
Emily reached him and dropped to her knees, pulling him against her chest so quickly that his small body disappeared beneath her dark coat.
He smelled like dirt and cold air.
Emily's hands moved over his curly hair, his shoulders, his arms.
“Are you hurt?”” she whispered.
“Ethan, look at me. Are you hurt?””
Ethan shook his head, but his lower lip trembled.
“I—I thought you weren't coming back.””
Emily closed her eyes.
“I came back for you.””
Behind them, footsteps stopped on the stone patio.
Ryan Moretti stood in the doorway.
Tall. Muscular. Immaculately dressed in a black shirt that looked as though it had never seen a wrinkle.
His face was completely calm.
Emily slowly stood, keeping Ethan behind her.
“You made my son stay out here?””
Ryan didn't answer immediately.
Natalie Cross appeared beside him.
Her fitted red dress looked almost absurd against the bright white marble interior behind her.
She folded her arms.
“Don't make this dramatic, Emily.””
Emily stared at her.
“You threw wine in my face five minutes ago.””
Natalie shrugged.
“You were gone too long.””
Emily's jaw tightened.
“You slapped me.””
“You're lucky that's all I did,” Natalie replied.
Ryan finally stepped onto the patio.
“Enough.””
Emily looked at him.
“Enough?””
Her voice was quiet.
That seemed to bother him more than screaming would have.
“You replaced our son's bedroom with a nursery,” Emily said.
“You put him outside beside a dog kennel. And you're telling me enough?””
Ryan's expression hardened.
“He gave up the room.””
“For what?””
Ryan glanced toward Natalie.
“For the new baby.””
Emily felt Ethan's fingers clutch the back of her coat.
She looked down.
His eyes were fixed on Ryan.
Not angry.
Afraid.
Emily immediately noticed.
“Ethan,” she whispered, “why are you scared of him?””
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
“Don't put ideas in his head.””
“I asked my son a question.””
“He's confused.””
Ethan's voice came from behind her.
“I heard you.””
Ryan looked at him.
“What did you hear?””
Ethan swallowed.
“The baby gets my room.””
Natalie smiled.
“See? He understands.””
Emily stared at her.
Then she looked at the kennel.
Then the dirty blanket.
Then the mansion.
Everything was beautiful.
The marble.
The glass walls.
The manicured garden.
The expensive furniture visible through the doors.
And her child was sitting on the ground beside a doghouse.
“How long?”” Emily asked.
Ryan's face changed by only a fraction.
“That's not relevant.””
Emily stepped closer.
“How long has my son been sleeping out here?””
“Emily—”
“How long?””
Ryan's voice became colder.
“I said it isn't relevant.””
Emily nodded slowly.
“Okay.””
Natalie raised an eyebrow.
“Okay?””
Emily looked at her.
“I'm done asking.””
Natalie's smirk faded.
Emily turned to Ethan.
“Come inside.””
Ryan stepped into her path.
“You're not taking him anywhere.””
Emily stopped.
“What?””
Ryan pointed toward the house.
“You walked back into this property like you still own everything.””
“I am his mother.””
“And I'm his father.””
Ethan grabbed Emily's hand.
“Mom, please.””
Emily looked down at him.
His fingers were shaking.
Something inside her went completely still.
She stepped around Ryan.
He caught her wrist.
Emily looked at his hand.
Then at his face.
“Let go.””
Ryan tightened his grip.
“Don't make me repeat myself.””
Emily's eyes stayed on his.
“Then don't.””
For several seconds, neither moved.
Finally, Ryan released her.
Emily took Ethan's hand.
They walked toward the mansion.
Natalie stepped aside.
But as Emily passed, Natalie leaned close enough to whisper.
“You should have stayed away.””
Emily stopped.
She turned her head.
Natalie smiled.
“You don't know what happened while you were gone.””
Emily looked at her son's frightened face.
“No,” Emily said softly.
“But I'm going to.””
And for the first time that evening, Natalie looked nervous.
Then Ethan tugged Emily's hand.
“Mom.””
“What is it?””
His eyes moved toward the upstairs hallway.
“There’s something you need to see.””
Emily followed his gaze.
At the top of the marble staircase, a small white envelope rested on the floor.
Her name was written across it.
In Ryan's handwriting.
May you like
And beneath her name were four words:
*YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED GONE.*
