Chapter 7
Daniel filed his emergency motion on Monday.
He requested that Bernadette have no contact with Ethan.
That was expected.
The second request was harder.
Until the investigation clarified how many Costa relatives knew about the plan, Daniel asked the court to require his written consent before Ethan attended any event at the Costa estate.
Including events hosted by Adriano.
Rachel warned Adriano before service arrived.
“You can fight it.”
“I know.”
“You have a strong relationship with Ethan.”
“I know.”
“Sadie will be affected.”
“I know.”
“Daniel is not accusing you of planning this.”
“No.”
“He is saying the environment became unsafe.”
Adriano looked through his office window.
That was difficult to argue with.
Sadie had been pinned to a floor.
Ethan’s passport had been stolen.
Fake records connected the boy to Adriano’s home.
A recorder documented a plan for him to disappear.
Adriano could insist he had not known.
That would be true.
It would not make the estate safe.
The family pressured him to oppose Daniel.
Bernadette’s allies argued the court motion was an attempt to sever Ethan from Nora’s side forever.
One aunt cried.
Another threatened to intervene legally.
Adriano stopped them.
“No one files anything using Ethan’s name.”
“You cannot speak for all of us.”
“No.”
He looked around the table.
“But if any person in this room turns that boy into a family possession, they do it without me.”
That evening he told Sadie Ethan might not visit the estate for a while.
Her face fell.
“Because me?”
“No.”
“Because I took the recorder?”
“No.”
“Because Aunt Bernadette?”
“Because adults need to make sure both of you are safe.”
Sadie thought.
“Can I see him somewhere else?”
“If his dad says yes.”
“Can you make him say yes?”
Adriano could have said yes.
Years earlier he probably would have believed he could.
Instead:
“No.”
Sadie frowned.
“Why?”
“Because Ethan’s dad decides for Ethan.”
She considered that.
Then nodded.
May you like
The simplicity of her acceptance made the adults look worse.
Children understood boundaries perfectly well when adults stopped teaching them that love erased them.
