Chapter 2 - The Ride Home
The interior of the SUV was warm and quiet as they drove away from the rented estate.
Arthur glanced in the rearview mirror, his heart aching at the sight of his exhausted children.
Chloe was wiping away her tears, while Ethan held his little brother’s hand in a protective grip.
“I am so sorry I wasn't there sooner,” Arthur said, breaking the heavy silence.
“We just wanted a piece of cake,” Liam mumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
“You are going to get the biggest cake in the city,” Arthur promised, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
His phone began to vibrate violently in the cup holder, flashing with calls from Margaret and Richard.
He calmly reached over, declined the call, and powered the device off completely.
For years, he had tolerated their snide remarks and demanding behavior because they were his parents.
He had bought them a house, paid off their debts, and funded their extravagant lifestyle.
But forcing his innocent children to act as unpaid servants for their amusement was a line they could never uncross.
Arthur pulled into the driveway of their home, feeling a profound sense of clarity.
He was not just going to cut them off emotionally.
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He was going to dismantle every single privilege he had ever handed them.
The era of funding his own abusers was permanently over.
