Chapter 39 – Family Lines and Fault Lines
Back home, Eleanor wasted no time stirring the pot.
"You can't trust that woman," she told Ethan in the study.
"You mean Clara?"
"I mean her and the trouble she drags behind her. You've already been shot at, blackmailed, and humiliated — all because of her."
Ethan's eyes hardened. "She's my wife."
"By contract!" Eleanor snapped. "You think I don't know how this started?"
The words hit harder than he expected.
But before he could reply, Clara appeared in the doorway, pale but composed.
"You're right, Mrs. Blackwood," she said quietly. "It did start as a contract. But it's not just that anymore."
Eleanor looked her up and down. "You really believe that, dear?"
Clara smiled faintly. "Yes. And so does your son — even if he hasn't admitted it yet."
For a moment, Eleanor said nothing. Then she turned and left, heels clicking like gunfire on marble.