CHAPTER 3: Chapter 3 - On Her Knees

Margaret Walker was seventy-two years old. She had raised Ethan alone after his father died, working double shifts at a clinic and still finding the strength to sit beside his bed whenever he had nightmares as a boy.
Now she was on her knees in her own living room.
Her gray hair had slipped loose from its clip. Her hands shook against the carpet. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at the floor, unable to look at the people around her.
Vanessa stood above her in a cream dress and heels, holding a glass of wine as if she were hosting a party instead of humiliating an old woman.
"Say it again," Vanessa demanded.
Margaret swallowed. "I am sorry."
"Louder."
Aunt Linda took one step forward, but Mark grabbed her arm, his face pale. The others looked away, ashamed of their own silence.
Margaret's voice broke. "I am sorry, Vanessa. I should not have questioned you."
The room went silent.
That was when Vanessa finally noticed Ethan standing in the doorway.
The color drained from her face so quickly that for one second she looked like a stranger wearing Vanessa's features.
"Ethan," she whispered.
Margaret lifted her head. When she saw her son, pain and relief crossed her face at the same time. She tried to stand, but her knees buckled.
Ethan set his duffel bag down without a sound. He did not shout. He did not curse. He did not demand an explanation.
He simply walked across the room, knelt beside his mother, and helped her to her feet.