The Piece He Couldn’t Destroy
Chapter 07 - The Piece He Couldn’t Destroy
For one second, nobody moved.
Richard held the torn letter in both hands.
Ethan stared at him in disbelief.
Then Nathan laughed.
It was quiet.
Almost relieved.
Richard frowned.
“What’s funny?”
Nathan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone.
“I scanned it before Ethan got here.”
Richard’s face drained of color.
Lauren exhaled.
Ethan looked from Nathan to Richard.
“You just destroyed evidence in front of three witnesses.”
Richard dropped the pieces onto the workbench.
“Evidence of what? A confused man writing a private note?”
“You were scared enough to tear it up.”
Richard stepped closer.
“Listen to me, Ethan. You are tired. You came home expecting one thing and walked into another. Don’t make permanent decisions while you’re angry.”
The irony almost made Ethan smile.
“Is that what you told Dad?”
Richard’s mouth tightened.
Ethan continued.
“Did you tell him to wait? Did you tell him not to make permanent decisions while he was angry?”
Richard picked up his car keys.
“This conversation is over.”
“No,” Nathan said. “It’s finally starting.”
Richard looked at him.
“You think being Edward’s biological son makes you family?”
Nathan absorbed the insult without blinking.
“No. But stealing from us makes you a criminal.”
Richard walked out.
His sedan reversed too quickly and disappeared down the street.
Lauren closed the garage door.
The sudden quiet left them standing under bright fluorescent lights with Edward’s motorcycle between them.
Ethan looked at the torn paper.
Then at Lauren.
“You knew Richard might come back.”
“Yes.”
“That’s why Nathan was here?”
“One reason.”
“What’s the other?”
Nathan and Lauren exchanged a glance.
Ethan saw it.
His chest tightened again.
Lauren went to the workbench and picked up the small key found inside the metal box.
“There’s a storage unit.”
She showed him the number stamped into the key tag.
“Your father rented it eleven years ago.”
Ethan stared at the tag.
“How do you know it still exists?”
Nathan answered.
“Because I paid the overdue balance yesterday.”
Ethan looked at him.
May you like
Nathan continued.
“And because Richard tried to access it this morning.”
