Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK
Luis was in an emergency department on the West Side.
He had been found near a service alley, confused and bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow.
Shaw asked Ethan to wait until the medical staff finished their initial assessment.
Waiting had become the one thing Ethan hated most.
Lydia used the time.
She sent the revocation notices.
Grace contacted the company’s controller and instructed him to preserve records.
Ethan sat in a hospital chair with his wheelchair beside him.
The short walk from the parking area had left his legs trembling.
Standing in the ballroom had been real.
So was this.
His recovery had never been a magic trick.
Months of therapy.
Pain.
Bad mornings.
Small distances.
He had kept the recent progress private after Grace discovered someone had accessed his rehabilitation reports without permission.
A voice spoke behind him.
“You still forget to bring the brace when you’re trying to prove a point.”
Ethan turned.
His younger sister, Claire, stood beneath the fluorescent lights in a raincoat.
They hadn’t spoken in six months.
At least, not directly.
Vanessa had told him Claire wanted access to the family trust.
Claire had received messages telling her he needed space.
He looked at her.
“Who called you?”
“Grace.”
Claire held up a paper cup.
“Coffee. Probably terrible.”
He accepted it.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she said, “Did you really think I would fight you for Dad’s money while you were learning to sit up?”
“I thought you’d changed.”
“You thought what she told you.”
It hurt because it was true.
Ethan looked down.
“I should’ve called.”
“Yes.”
Claire sat beside him.
She didn’t soften the answer.
That helped more than forgiveness would have.
Shaw came through the doors.
“Mr. Ortega can speak briefly.”
Luis lay against raised pillows, one eye swollen.
He looked frightened when Ethan entered.
“Reed told me you would turn this around on me,” he said.
Ethan stopped at the foot of the bed.
“Tell me what happened.”
Luis swallowed.
“Nolan came to the garage. Said your car needed work done off the books.”
“Why?”
“He said you wanted something changed before an inspection.”
Ethan felt Claire stiffen beside him.
“What changed?”
Luis looked toward the door.
“The brake assembly was swapped.”
“For a bad one?”
Luis nodded.
Then he whispered, “But the first person who asked me to do it wasn’t Nolan.”
“Who?”
May you like
Luis looked directly at Claire.
“Your father.”
