Chapter 23: Dark Secret

Ethan came home as usual — to an empty, quiet house. Only the maid and his private tutor in the study were waiting for him.

He walked in, sat down at the desk, and the lesson began. Today they were covering the stock market, shares, buying and selling. The long hour of numbers and rules dragged on slowly.

When it ended, a light dinner was waiting, then a bath, and finally bed with a book in his hand.

His father came home late at night — completely drunk. He immediately started yelling at the maid:

“What the hell did you cook?! This place is a mess! You’re not even trying!”

A moment later Mom arrived. Ethan heard her trying to calm him down. It worked as always — after a few minutes she pulled him into the bedroom.

But tonight it was extremely bad. Ethan lay in bed listening to the insults and screams from the next room. To him they were strangers. He spent the bare minimum of time with them; they had never kissed him, stroked him, or hugged him the way Mom Riki did.