Chapter 6 - The Mother on the Phone
Noah's mother, Maya Chen, landed from Boston the next morning. She was a pediatric cardiologist and had been away for a six-week research rotation, calling Noah every night and visiting whenever her schedule allowed. When Julian told her about the collapse, she drove straight to the estate without stopping at her hotel.
She knelt in front of Noah and checked him the way she checked every child who came into her clinic: gently, without making him feel like a problem to solve.
"Did you get hurt?" she asked.
"Elena got hurt," he said. "She pulled me away."
Maya looked at the bandage on Elena's arm. "Thank you. I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," Elena replied. "Just believe him when he tells you what he saw."
Maya's gaze sharpened. "What did he see?"
Julian explained the accusation and the missing footage. Maya listened without interrupting. When he finished, she turned to him.
"Did you believe him?"
Julian hesitated too long.
Maya's disappointment was quiet but unmistakable. "You tell Noah to speak up when something feels wrong, then the first time he does, you explain it away because the person he names is your brother."
May you like
"I wanted to be certain."
"Then be certain. Don't make your son carry the burden of convincing you."
