Chapter 2: The Truth Behind Closed Doors
That evening, Daniel reviewed the security footage from the foyer.
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
Then he saw it.
Margaret standing over Ethan while Daniel was away on business.
Her voice was low but clear.
“Your father has a real family now. Stop pretending you belong here.”
Ethan clutched the handmade gift to his chest.
“But he said he loves me.”
“Love isn’t enough,” Margaret replied. “Some children are just burdens.”
Daniel stared at the screen, unable to move.
His son had not been abandoned by fate.
He had been abandoned inside his own home.
When Daniel walked into their bedroom later that night, Margaret was reading a magazine.
“You lied to me,” he said.
She looked up calmly. “I protected our future.”
“By telling my son he didn’t belong?”
Her expression hardened.
“He’s not my responsibility.”
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Daniel set the wooden frame on the bed between them.
“Then you never understood what family means.”
