Chapter 258: Between Family And Justice
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The living room seemed even smaller in the dark, lit only by a single lamp on the side table that cast long, weary shadows on the worn hardwood floor. Snow still clung to the window edges from the last storm, glowing a faint blue under the streetlight outside, while inside, everything felt heavy and still.
I perched on the edge of the couch, elbows resting on my knees, my hands clasped so tightly that my knuckles were starting to ache. Ethan stood by the window, facing away from me, arms crossed over his chest as if he was trying to hold himself together.
The silence between us wasn’t empty; it was thick and oppressive, echoing with every word I had just forced out of my mouth.
He hadn’t said a thing for almost two full minutes after I finished telling him about the conversation in the study. Not a single question. No denial. Just that quiet, watchful stillness that made my skin crawl because I knew he was turning every syllable over in his mind, searching for cracks.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and rough, still not turning around.
"Say it again."
I didn’t blame him, if I was in his shoes...I’d try my best to make sense of everything as well.
I swallowed hard. My throat felt raw from both the cold air and the lingering panic.
"Keith said the motel was handled," I repeated, taking care to match the exact rhythm of his words. "Mr. Carlby was nervous, said people might start asking questions, especially you. Keith told him that a grieving boy going through paperwork wasn’t a threat. Then he added... if Logan had just kept quiet, none of this would’ve happened."
Ethan’s shoulders rose and fell with a slow, controlled breath.
"And what about forcing his hand?"