The grand doors of the Connor estate slammed shut behind William with a finality that echoed like a warning through the cavernous foyer. The heavy scent of polished mahogany, fresh lilies, and cold marble surrounded him—a stark reminder that he was a prisoner in this gilded cage, a place where wealth masked cruelty and love was measured in control.
His footsteps reverberated against the marble floor as he made his way deeper into the house, each step heavier than the last. His heart pounded—not from fear, but from a furious storm brewing inside. Tonight, he would confront the architects of his fractured past: his parents.
In the vast sitting room, Mildred sat like a queen on her throne, her posture rigid, lips pursed in a thin line that spoke of centuries-old discipline and unyielding power. Her sharp eyes lifted slowly to meet his, cold and calculating.
Gregory stood beside her, his tall frame radiating a controlled menace, his fists clenched at his sides as if ready to strike. The room, filled with ornate tapestries and antique furniture, felt suffocating, like the walls themselves held secrets whispering threats.
"William," Mildred's voice cut through the silence—icy and deliberate. "You've chosen a dangerous path."
William's eyes flared, the fire of years of frustration and hurt igniting within. "Dangerous? You call this danger? You've hidden everything from me. Took Amanda. Erased Archie. Erased my life. I demand to know where she is."
Gregory's face darkened with fury. "Amanda is a liability. A loose thread that will unravel everything we've built. And you—your foolish loyalty to her and that boy—will cost you dearly."
Mildred's lips curved into a cruel smile. "You think you can defy us? We hold your future in our hands. We control your every step."
William took a step forward, voice sharp as broken glass. "What do you mean?"
Gregory's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "You will be separated from Archie. We have made arrangements. A transfer—far away, to a place where you won't interfere with our plans. No letters, no calls. A clean break."
Mildred leaned in, her gaze piercing like a dagger. "You will forget him, William. Or we will make you."
Anger exploded inside William like a wildfire. "You can't do this. I won't let you."
Suddenly, the door burst open with a force that shattered the fragile calm. Archie stumbled in, breath ragged, eyes blazing with defiance.
"No," Archie spat, stepping between William and his parents. "You won't take him. Not while I'm here."
Gregory's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flickering behind his cold stare. "You're a fool for interfering."
Before anyone could react, a deafening gunshot tore through the air.
Archie's body jerked violently, and he collapsed into William's arms, heavy and trembling. The sound echoed like thunder through the room, silencing everything but the ragged gasps of shock and pain.
William caught him instinctively, his arms shaking as he held the weight of the one person who meant everything to him.
"Archie!" His voice cracked, a mixture of terror and desperation. He pressed his hands to Archie's body, searching, feeling—any sign that he was still with him.
Mildred's face twisted into a mask of cold fury. "You will regret this."
Gregory barked orders into a phone, the cold efficiency in his voice cutting through William's anguish like a blade.
The heavy, suffocating silence was broken only by the distant wail of sirens growing nearer, a fragile thread of hope in a night stained with blood and betrayal.
William cradled Archie tightly, tears blurring his vision as he whispered promises he wasn't sure he could keep.
And in that moment, amidst the chaos and pain, something inside William broke—but something else, fiercer and unyielding, was born. The loud noise made him remember everything. The night before the accident.