Chapter 8 - REBECCA STEPS IN
By noon,
Rebecca had arrived at Mass General,
bypassed three layers of administrative red tape with her legal credentials,
and personally escorted Arthur back to his home in Brookline.
She also made sure Ethan was there,
waiting in the living room like a condemned prisoner.
When Ethan opened the front door to see Rebecca standing beside his frail father,
he looked like a ghost.
His hair was unwashed,
his shirt wrinkled,
and his eyes hollowed out by days of sheer panic and remorse.
“Dad,
I am so sorry,
” Ethan stammered,
rushing forward to take his father’s arm.
“I lost track of the schedule,
I swear—I didn't mean to—.
” “Save it,
Ethan,
” Rebecca interrupted,
her voice cutting through the foyer with freezing authority as she guided Arthur to his armchair.
She turned to Ethan,
locking her piercing gaze onto his bloodshot eyes.
“You lost track of the schedule because you spent six years treating Norah like an unpaid administrative assistant instead of a partner,
” Rebecca stated coldly,
pulling off her leather gloves.
“You thought you could trade her in for a younger model with zero responsibilities,
and the universe would simply adjust to your convenience.
” “Rebecca,
please,
I’ve already realized what a colossal mistake—,
” Ethan began,
raising his hands in defeat.
“Mistake?” Rebecca scoffed,
her tone dripping with disdain.
“A mistake is forgetting your car keys,
Ethan.
Deciding to have an affair,
neglecting your sick parents,
and forcing your sixteen-year-old daughter to carry your guilty secrets in silence is not a mistake.
It’s moral bankruptcy.
” Arthur looked up from his chair,
his voice weak but steady.
“She’s right,
son,
” Arthur murmured.
“Norah held this family together with grace and love for years.
You didn't just lose a wife,
Ethan.
You burned down your entire life with your own hands.
” Rebecca walked over to the kitchen counter,
picked up the laminated binder I had left behind,
and tossed it onto Ethan’s lap.
“Read it,
memorize it,
and realize that you will never,
May you like
ever have someone like that covering your blind spots again,
” Rebecca said sharply before turning on her heel and walking out the door.
