Mark’s jaw tightened. “He said he was coming over… and that he was going to make you ‘pay for what you did.’”
My mind went blank. “What I did?”
“I asked him,” Mark continued. “He kept going on about money… said you ruined him.”
Then it hit me.
Two weeks ago, Ethan had begged me for twenty thousand dollars. He promised it would fix everything. But we had helped him before—more than once—and it always disappeared into drinking or gambling. For the first time, I said no.
He lost it. Yelled things I’d never heard from him before. Accused me of abandoning him. Said I thought I was better than him.
But I never imagined he’d show up like this.
“Mark… he wouldn’t hurt us,” I whispered.
Mark slowly shook his head. “He didn’t sound like himself.”
A loud crash shattered the silence.
Emma flinched in my arms.
Through the window, I saw Ethan in the living room, knocking things over. Picture frames hit the floor and broke. He staggered, shouting—words I couldn’t hear, but the anger was clear.
My chest ached.
That was my little brother. The kid who used to ride bikes with me, who cried when our dog died.
But the man inside now felt like a stranger.
Then he disappeared down the hallway.
My heart jumped.
The hallway leading to Emma’s room.
I grabbed Mark’s arm. “He’s going to think we’re inside.”
“That’s why we left,” Mark said grimly.
Moments later, Ethan came back, furious. He grabbed a chair and hurled it across the room.
In the distance, sirens began to wail.
Mark must have called the police earlier.
Ethan froze when he heard them. For a moment, he just stood there, breathing hard.
Then he turned… toward the window.
Toward the yard.
Toward us.
I stopped breathing.
Emma was completely still in my arms. Mark’s hand rested on my shoulder, steady but tense, ready to act.
For one terrifying second…
…I thought he saw us.
But then he looked away.
He staggered toward the front door just as a police car screeched to a stop outside. Red and blue lights flooded the street. Officers rushed up the driveway, grabbing him before he could react.
Even from the bushes, I could hear him shouting.
“She ruined my life!”
“He owes me!”
“He thinks he’s better than me!”
The words cut deeper than I expected.
Because underneath the anger… there was pain.
They cuffed him while another officer checked the house. A few minutes later, one of them spotted us and waved us over.