And Ethan could convince me to take him there.
That was when the cruelty of the whole thing became unbearable.
Derek had studied my son’s grief.
He understood how desperately Ethan wanted to know his father.
And he turned that longing into leverage.
Then Ethan added one final detail.
“Uncle Derek said he’d see me Monday.”
“For what?” the detective asked.
“To see if Mom said yes.”
My stomach tightened.
“Yes to what?”
Ethan looked down.
“Taking me to Dad’s storage place.”
Suddenly everything made sense.
All week, Ethan had been asking me repeatedly to visit the storage unit.
I had thought it came from him.
It hadn’t.
“Derek told you to keep asking?”
Ethan nodded.
“He said if you said no, ask again the next day.”
His lip trembled.
“I really did want to see Dad’s things though.”
“I know.”
Then he explained the final part.
