Chapter 2 - The Collapse of the Glass Castle
The silence in the master bedroom of the Vance mansion was suffocating. Dominic stood frozen, his phone lying screen-up on the expensive hardwood floor. The words Enjoy the family you chose glowed dimly in the dark room.
Beside him, Paige shifted, the silk sheets rustling. "Dominic, babe? What did the doctor say? Is that charity-case wife of yours finally signing over her rights to the house?"
Dominic couldn't breathe. His ears rang with Dr. Reed’s voice: Sterile. You will never be able to have another child. And worse: She lost the baby.
"Dominic?" Paige sat up, her perfectly manicured hand reaching for his arm.
He violently shook her off. "Get out," he whispered, his voice trembling.
"What?"
"GET OUT!" he roared, slamming his fist against the nightstand.
Paige gasped, scrambling out of bed, grabbing her clothes, and rushing out of the room.
Dominic collapsed to his knees. For years, his mother, Victoria, had whispered in his ear that Audrey was flawed, that her inability to conceive quickly was proof she wasn't good enough for the Vance lineage. And now, the truth was a physical blow to his chest. He was the one who was flawed. And he had just lost his only child because his mother had pushed his wife down the stairs.
Downstairs, Victoria was sipping tea, a smug smile on her face. When Dominic stormed into the living room, pale and sweating, her smile faded.
"Dominic, darling, what is it? Did that girl finally leave for good?"
"She was pregnant, Mother," Dominic said, his voice dead. "She lost the baby because she fell. Your fault. And I can never have another."
Victoria’s cup shattered on the marble floor. "What? No, that’s a lie! She’s faking it to get your money!"
"What money, Mother?!" Dominic screamed. "The company is bleeding cash! We needed this month’s investor payout just to clear the payroll!"
Before Victoria could answer, Dominic’s phone buzzed violently. It wasn't Audrey. It was his Chief Financial Officer.
"Dominic, we have a catastrophic emergency," the CFO gasped. "The Vanguard Holding Group just pulled all funding. They’ve frozen our operating accounts. And Dominic... they just issued an eviction notice for the mansion. It turns out, we don't own it. The holding company does."
Dominic felt the world tilt. "That's impossible. Vanguard is our silent partner. They’ve backed us for two years!"
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"Not anymore," the CFO said grimly. "And there’s a process server at the front gate right now. You’re being sued for corporate fraud, and you’ve been served with a divorce petition and an emergency restraining order."
Dominic looked up at his mother, horror clawing at his throat. The glass castle they had built on arrogance was shattering, piece by piece.
