By noon, Ethan left for his meeting. But just before the elevator doors shut, he glanced back. Ruth stood beside the window, dusting shelves she had already cleaned hours ago.
That night, he reviewed the footage. What he saw made his stomach drop.
Clare lounged on the couch with two friends, laughing while Ruth scrubbed the floor. One friend casually tossed crumbs onto the tiles. Another smirked. Clare raised her wine glass.
“If Ethan insists on keeping her here, she might as well earn her keep.”
Ruth didn’t protest. She just bent lower, voice quivering.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ethan closed the tablet, staring at his own reflection in the dark screen, fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
The next morning, he acted as though nothing had happened. He brought flowers, kissed Clare’s cheek, and pretended he was unaware of everything he had seen.
He kneaded her guard down. When Ruth came to clear the table, Ethan caught her sleeve gently. “Mom, are you happy here?” She hesitated, then nodded too quickly. “You worry too much.” But her voice cracked on the word much. That night, he couldn’t stand still. He walked the terrace, watching city lights blink across the skyline.
Behind him, the apartment was quiet. Too quiet. He opened the footage again. Ruth carrying laundry twice her size. Clare shouting something about doing it right. A slap of fabric hitting tile. Laughter. He pressed pause. His jaw flexed. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow it ends. He called his assistant and arranged a dinner for the following night.
He said nothing else, only make sure everyone is there. In the background of that call, the faint hum of Ruth’s song floated again through the halls, cracked by exhaustion, yet still gentle, he shut his eyes. He hadn’t heard that melody since he was a child. The next evening, the penthouse glowed under soft lights. The table was set for eight silver cutlery lined in military precision.
Ethan arrived first, calm on the surface, though every nerve burned beneath. Clare appeared radiant in a white gown, pretending warmth. Finally, a proper dinner, she said, brushing his shoulder. You’ve been distant lately. He smiled faintly. Just work. Guest trickled in two partners from his firm. Clare’s friends from the video and Ruth, quiet in a plain gray dress.