---
Kael should've sensed something was wrong the moment the driver refused to meet his gaze. Normally, Charles would greet him with a warm nod, sometimes even open the door with a "Welcome home, sir." But today, Charles stood by the gate stiffly, his eyes fixed on the driveway gravel like it held all the answers in the world. Kael brushed it off. Maybe the man had a bad day. He had his own thoughts to deal with school deadlines, plans to visit his girlfriend Sia later that night, and that subtle tug in his chest he couldn't explain.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
No soft jazz music from the dining room, no scent of his mother's jasmine candles wafting through the air. Just a thick, unnatural stillness. He dropped his bag near the stairs and stepped into the living room.
Three people were there.
Two strangers , a woman and a boy and his father.
His mother stood near the fireplace, frozen like a statue, her scarf clutched tightly in her hands. Her eyes, wide and red, locked onto Kael's the moment he walked in.
His steps slowed. His gaze swept from the boy, who looked no older than sixteen, to the woman beside him tall, high cheekbones, eyes rimmed with eyeliner too sharp to be kind. She smiled at Kael, but there was something smug under the curve of her lips.
"Kael," his father said. The tone was formal, distant like he was addressing a stranger at a board meeting. "Come meet Madam Elsie and her son, Junior. They'll be living here from now on."
Kael blinked. "Living where?"
"Here," his father said again. "In this house."
The scarf slipped from his mother's fingers.
Kael looked between them all confusion hardening into dread. "I don't understand. What's going on?"
His father stood, brushing imaginary lint from his suit sleeve. "Your mother and I are separating. It's been a long time coming. I've decided to move forward with my life. This is your new family now. "It felt like someone had punched him in the stomach.
"No." Kael took a step forward. "You can't just throw her out like this."
"She doesn't belong here anymore," his father said flatly. "This is my house. My decision."
Kael's mother finally moved, just a step back — like she could disappear into the wall. Her lips trembled. "It's okay," she whispered. "We'll leave quietly."
"No," Kael growled. "You're his wife. We're his family. This ...this is insane!"
His father's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone, boy! You're not a child anymore. This is between adults."
Kael opened his mouth to speak—but his mother's knees suddenly buckled. Her body crumpled, and Kael lunged forward just in time to catch her.
"Mom!"
Panic flared through him as she slumped in his arms. He shouted for help, but the house staff hesitated at the hallway entrance. No one moved. Not even his dad.
---
Later That Evening…
A private doctor came and left. His mother had fainted from emotional shock. Nothing physical, they said just too much at once.
Kael sat beside her in her bedroom as she slowly packed her things into a single travel box. Her hands moved like they had forgotten how to function. She folded her clothes as if it were someone else's life, not hers, he helped her pack the rest. In silence.
Downstairs, Madam Elsie's laughter echoed.
No one from the household staff offered assistance. The house felt smaller now, meaner. As if even the walls had turned their backs.
When it was time to leave, Kael asked for the driver. His father refused.
So they booked a cab.
Kael stood at the gate, gripping his mother's suitcase in one hand, his own bag slung across his shoulder. As the car pulled out of the compound, he dared one last glance at the house.
The lights were on. The new "family" was already seated at the dining table.
---
Final Line:
It was strange, how a house so grand could feel so hollow. And how people who swore they loved you could suddenly forget your name.