Chapter 3 - The Last Excuse“Tyler,” Eleanor said softly.
He turned toward her.
“Tell her to put the bag down.”
Eleanor stared at him.
There was a time when those words would have been enough.
She would have obeyed.
She would have told Clara to calm down.
She would have reminded her that Tyler was Leo's father.
She would have insisted that families stayed together.
But then Eleanor looked at Clara again.
The bruising around her jaw was impossible to explain away.
Neither was the blood.
Neither was the terror in Leo's eyes.
“Mom?”
Tyler's voice sharpened.
“Tell her.”
Eleanor swallowed.
“Tyler…”
“What?”
“You hurt her.”
The room went silent.
Tyler blinked.
For perhaps the first time in his adult life, his mother had refused to protect him from the consequences of his own behavior.
His expression changed.
“You believe her?”
Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
“I believe what I can see.”
Tyler's jaw tightened.
“She attacked me first.”
Clara looked down.
She had heard that sentence before.
Every time, somehow, everything became her fault.
May you like
Eleanor's hands trembled.
But this time she didn't look away.
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