Alexander listened to her and felt disgusted. She lied with terrifying ease. When she mentioned “the drops,” when she suggested sending him away to an expensive center, Alexander understood the plan: get the boy out of the way, keep the man and the money, and turn Alexander’s guilt into an open checkbook.
“No,” he interrupted. “Today I want to be with my son. And I want Elena to stay.”
Charlotte blinked, uncomfortably, and smiled as if it were an absurd idea.
—Elena is just the cleaning lady…
“The house can wait,” Alexander said, looking at her directly for the first time. “And I also want to know something, Charlotte… when I arrived… I thought I heard laughter.”
Fear flashed across Charlotte’s face for a split second, then she quickly dismissed it with an explanation: neighbors, wind, imagination. Alexander didn’t argue. He simply scooped Leo up in his arms, breaking all the rules Charlotte had set. The boy tensed, expecting punishment. But Alexander held him close to his chest.
“Airplane,” she whispered. “Dad’s here.”
In that brief touch, a small hand rested on her shoulder. It wasn’t a full embrace, but it was a response. A spark of life.