The end of her; The beginning

The room was dim when I entered. The curtains were half drawn, letting in a weak strip of evening light but it didn’t reach her bed. She was there, still breathing even if she was barely allowed to stay alive,

“Mom,” I called softly.

Her eyes flickered open slowly, like it took effort to just open her eyes,

“Ethan …” she whispered.

My name sounded different whenever she said it.

“Have you taken your drugs?”

I didn’t wait for her reply, the maids were too busy to pay attention to her. I moved closer and checked the small table beside her bed. Her medicine wasn’t there. For a moment, I just stood still. The drug was always replaced immediately if finished.

She turned her head slightly.

“Is it time?” she asked.

I swallowed once.

“Yes.” Actually, it was way past the time to take drugs. Her fingers twitched against the blanket.

“I’m… a little dizzy today,” she said quietly, trying to sit up.

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me clearly.

“I’ll get the drugs, don’t sit up yet.”

I left the room in hurried steps and as I half ran , the hallway seemed to have stretched longer on the way out. I moved really fast, my mum couldn’t stay without her drugs for too long. I ran through the corridor passing by people who didn’t care

When I reached the front of the house,I could see my father where he spoke to a guest over champagne.

I called at the top of my voice,

“Father.”

Richard Montgomery stood near the staircase with a glass in his hand, speaking to someone I didn’t care to register at first. Until I did. It was the guest from earlier. The man who gave me his card. He was old, with calm eyes that looked really sharp. His name was Victor Cole.

“You again,” he said calmly.

My father’s expression didn’t change.

“Do you know him?” Victor asked.

He didn’t reply at first but that pause told me everything before the answer came.

“No,” my father said flatly.

Just one word.

Like I wasn’t even worth correcting.

I couldn’t move. My throat tightened, but my calm expression remained the same. It was the first time my father denied me outside the family but he had done worse than that.

Victor’s eyes lingered on me a moment longer. Interest shone in his eyes. Like I was some new manual he hadn’t decided how to read yet.

“You have sharp eyes,” he said quietly.

Before I could respond, my father spoke.

“This is Adrian,” he said, stepping slightly aside.

My brother appeared immediately like he had been waiting for the signal. He had a perfect smile, the posture and perfect timing.

So Adrian. He just never misses it

“Adrian Montgomery,” my father added, voice firm. “My heir.”

The word settled easily into the space between them.

Adrian extended his hand and Victor shook it politely.

“I’ve heard of you,” Victor said.

Adrian smiled wider.

“Good things, I hope.”

“Expected things,” Victor replied with a faint smile before his gaze shifted back to me.

It was brief

“What about him?” Victor asked.

For the first time, my father hesitated when it came to me. It wasn’t long, just enough to be noticeable.

“He’s not relevant,” Richard Montgomery said.

It was that simple.

Adrian didn’t even look at me when he spoke.

“He helps around the house sometimes,” he added lightly. “Nothing serious.”

A quiet laugh followed from someone nearby.

I couldn’t move and I didn’t react.

I just stood there while I was erased in real time.

Victor's smile widened, then he nodded once.

“I see.”

That was all.

And somehow, that was worse than everything else I’ve had to take.

I returned upstairs after that, I had failed to talk about the medicine.

What would I do about my mum? It was too late to return now.

I returned to her room quietly. I stared out her window until darkness covered the earth.

The gala continued downstairs.

Music. Laughter. Glasses clinking like nothing in the world had ever gone wrong. Well nothing in their world went wrong.

I stayed in my mother’s room and watched as she slept in short, uneven breaths. After a while I moved to sit beside her, watching the seconds stretch.

I took her hand in mine and she turned slightly.

“Did you find it?” she asked faintly.

My hand tightened.

“No,” I said.

Then she smiled weakly.

“It’s alright..I can take it later.”

I nodded.

It was past midnight when the atmosphere changed.

I felt it before I heard it.

The door downstairs slammed against the frame. I heard angry voices

Richard Montgomery didn’t shout often but whenever he did, it was dangerous.

I stood up slowly, tired of the prison I live in

My mother stirred in her sleep

“Ethan ?” she called

“I’ll be back mum”

Whatever would happen shouldn’t be before her. When I reached the hallway, Adrian was already there. He was leaning casually against the wall.

“You’re still awake?” he asked.

I didn’t answer, he could see.

He smiled slightly.

“You really are stubborn.”

I walked past him pretending to ignore him, but I couldn’t ignore Adrain. He always somehow managed to get to me.

He didn’t move but his voice followed.

“You know, father is in a bad mood.”

I stopped for a second and Adrain tilted his head.

“It might be your fault.” He took a small pause before he continued to say

“People like you always end up causing problems.”

I didn’t respond.

I just kept walking until I got to my father’s study. The door was open and Richard Montgomery stood inside, pacing about and his anger didn’t need introduction.

“You embarrassed this house today,”

He yelled immediately as he saw me walk through the door. Adrian entered behind me, he didn’t even bother hiding the satisfaction in his eyes.

“He was speaking out of turn again,” Adrian said. “Maybe he needs discipline.”

My father looked at him and then at me.

Something cold settled into his expression.

“What did you do?” he asked me.

I exhaled slowly.

“I spoke to a guest.”

That earned me a small but humorless laugh,

“Who gave you permission?”

I didn’t answer fast enough and Adrian butted in

“You’re too lenient with him, he doesn’t understand boundaries yet.”

My father looked at me for a long time before he said,

“From tonight,” he said, voice calm again, “your mother’s medication will be suspended.”

I blinked once and from the corner of my eyes, I could see Adrian’s smile

“Maybe it will teach you something,”

My father added.

I dropped to my knees. It was all I could do, beg, then beg again

“Please, don’t do this”

“It will help you learn your place,” The man I call father said casually knowing my mother’s life depended on those drugs. I didn’t bother holding back the hot tears that poured, I crawled to my father and held his legs,

“Forgive me this once, I’ll disappear completely”

He smiled, and his mouth moved like he wanted to say something. Just then, the senior maid came in,

“The older lady is dead”

Something inside me went still.