Something flashes in his eyes. Something dark. "Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be, Claire."

I spit in his face. "Harder? You humiliated me! You threw me out like garbage! You—" My breath hitches as realization dawns. "This was always your plan, wasn’t it? That’s why you never let me meet your family. That’s why you kept us hidden!"

Ethan doesn’t deny it.

And that silence cuts deeper than any knife.

My legs shake beneath me. I thought I had already felt the worst pain in the world. But no—this is worse. This is the brutal truth of my existence.

I was never a wife. I was just a convenience.

I was the mistress he tucked away until he didn’t need me anymore.

"You disgust me," I whisper.

His expression remains unreadable. "Liam deserves more than this, Claire. More than this small-town life. I can give him the world."

I grip his shirt, my nails digging into his chest. "And what about me, Ethan? Am I nothing to you? Did I ever mean anything?!"

He hesitates.

Just for a second.

Then—

"No," he says.

A breath leaves my lips.

And then I break.

"Mommy?"

A small voice cuts through the suffocating air. I turn. Liam stands at the doorway, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Ethan crouches, his entire demeanor softening. "Hey, buddy," he says, his voice dripping with that fake, poisonous warmth. "How would you like to go to Disneyland?"

Liam’s face lights up. "Disneyland?"

I shake my head, panic crashing over me. "No, Liam! Don’t listen to him!"

But Ethan is already winning.

"Just you and me, bud," he coaxes. "We’ll have so much fun."

Liam hesitates.

Then—

"Okay!" he grins.

My world collapses.

"No!" I scream, lunging for my son, but Ethan yanks me back.

I thrash, kick, claw, but he’s too strong.

"Liam! No! Stay here!"

But my son is already walking to the car, oblivious to the war happening behind him.

I turn to my mother, desperate. "Mom, stop him! Do something!"

My mother grips Ethan’s arm, shaking with fury. "You will not take my grandson!"

Ethan jerks free, his patience snapping. "Stay out of this, old woman!"

My mother gasps, clutching her chest.

Then she stumbles.

Her legs buckle.

And she crashes onto the pavement.

"Mom!" I scream, catching her just before she hits the ground.

Her face is pale. Her body limp.

Tears blind me. "Mom! Mom, stay with me!"

Ethan stands frozen, his mouth slightly open.

Then, in the distance—

The sound of tires screeching.

Liam.

Ethan is taking Liam.