Chapter 4 - Tea Parties and Broken Promises
Ethan returned to Mercer House in a fog of fury and remorse.
Instead of going to his office, he walked to the east wing where the staff quarters and day nursery were located. Through the glass door, he saw Hannah sitting on a small wooden chair, carefully assembling a plastic tea set while Sophie served imaginary tea.
Ethan knocked softly and opened the door.
Hannah immediately stood up, smoothing her apron, her face guarded. "Mr. Mercer. Is there something wrong with the east wing?"
"No," Ethan said gently. He looked at Sophie, who gave him a bright, gap-toothed smile.
"Tree man!" Sophie squeaked, hopping off her chair. "Did you come for tea?"
Ethan knelt on the floor, ignoring the crease in his trousers. "I did, if there’s a cup available."
Sophie handed him a tiny blue plastic cup. Ethan pretended to take a long, deliberate sip. "Exquisite," he pronounced solemnly.
Sophie giggled, leaning against his knee with the same unthinking trust she had shown under the oak tree.
Hannah watched them, her eyes shining with unspoken sorrow. "You went to Bridgeport, didn't you?" she whispered quietly.
Ethan looked up into Hannah's eyes. "How did you know?"
"Your legal team called me an hour ago asking if I had kept any of Caleb's personal notebooks," Hannah said, her voice trembling. "They sounded nervous."
"They have every reason to be," Ethan said firmly, standing up. "Hannah... Caleb didn't make a mistake, did he?"
"Caleb died because he tried to fix a broken system," Hannah said, tears finally breaking past her dark eyelashes. "He kept a black journal where he logged every safety violation and every refused work request. When he died, two men in dark suits came to our home before his body was even cold. They threatened to cancel our medical insurance retroactively unless I surrendered his records."
Ethan felt a terrible weight drop into his chest. "Where is the journal now?"
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Hannah looked down at Sophie, who was blissfully pouring fake tea for her teddy bear.
"I hid it," Hannah whispered. "In Sophie's nursery box."
