Jedidiah nodded once at Michael and Michelle—brief, restrained—and walked past them without another word. His footsteps faded into the corridor.
Ava lingered behind, adjusting her pace, her fingers curling slightly at her side.
That was when the door opposite her opened.
Jane stepped out.
The air changed.
They locked eyes.
For a heartbeat, the hallway felt suspended—sound muted, time stretched thin. Jane's expression shifted from surprise to scrutiny, as though she were trying to reconcile the woman before her with an old, forgotten memory.
Ava felt it hit her like a sudden draft.
The past surged forward uninvited.
Classrooms filled with laughter that never included her. Desks she sat alone at, head bent low, pretending not to hear the whispers. Being first in class meant nothing when jealousy followed her like a shadow. Jane's voice—sharp, cruel, deliberate—had once ruled those hallways.
"You think you're special because you read books?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
Ava remembered being small. Thin. Trying to disappear.
She remembered the day she almost did.
And then—Jedidiah.
The memory steadied her.
Ava lifted her chin and met Jane's stare fully this time. There was no fear in her eyes now. Only clarity.
Jane faltered.
Michelle, passing behind them, noticed the charged silence and followed Ava's gaze. When she saw Jane standing there, something like discomfort crossed her face.
Jane smiled suddenly—too quickly—and began to step forward.
But Ava had already turned away.
She followed Jedidiah.
The sound of pleading reached them before they reached Hayden's room.
"Please, Master Hayden," a housekeeper begged softly, knocking again. "You need to eat something."
Jedidiah stopped. "How long has he been in there?"
The woman jumped slightly. "Since you arrived, sir. He hasn't come out."
"Leave," Jedidiah said.
She hesitated. "Mrs. Kate told me to stay. She said I must protect him."
Protect him.
Jedidiah looked at her then—really looked at her. The calm in his eyes frightened her more than anger ever could.
"I said leave."
She didn't argue again. She turned and hurried down the hall, already rehearsing her explanation to Kate.
Jedidiah raised his hand to knock.
Jane rushed forward and blocked the door.
"No!" she cried, her voice cracking. "You're not going in there."
"Move," Jedidiah said.
"You've ruined enough!" Jane shouted. "Just leave my brother alone!"
Her voice echoed.
Kate appeared almost immediately, her face sharp with offense. Kennedith followed, then Michael and Michelle, drawn by the noise.
Kate crossed her arms. "Jedidiah, go and do whatever you came here to do. Mind your business."
Jedidiah didn't answer.
He pushed Jane aside.
She stumbled back in shock.
Then the door burst open.
Jedidiah stormed the door opened with a violent force
The room reeked of neglect.
Hayden lay on the floor in his underwear, surrounded by clothes, plates, and unopened curtains. The bang startled him into a scream. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing clothes blindly.
"What is wrong with you?" Hayden yelled. "You can't just barge in here!"
Jedidiah ignored him.
He strode to the window and flung it open, then tore the curtains apart. Sunlight flooded the room. Air rushed in like a verdict.
Kate began shouting. Jane cried. A housekeeper whispered loudly. Michael and Michelle stood frozen.
"Shut up."
Jedidiah's voice cut through everything.
Silence followed.
He turned slowly, his presence suddenly filling the room.
"Clean this place," he ordered the housekeepers. "Now."
They obeyed without question.
Then he faced Hayden.
"You have three days," Jedidiah said evenly. "Three days to get yourself together."
Hayden laughed weakly. "Or what?"
Jedidiah stepped closer.
"Or you admit you were never the man you claimed to be."
Hayden clenched his fists.
"You lied about me," Jedidiah continued. "You plotted with your mother. You helped destroy my life."
He paused.
"And yet you never saw me collapse."
The room held its breath.
"I stood up," Jedidiah said quietly. "I faced it all."
He leaned in slightly. "If you want to be better than me—then act like it."
He turned to Jane.
"The past version of me you bullied no longer exists," he said. "Speak to me with respect—or don't speak at all."
Jane said nothing.
Jedidiah faced Kate.
"You are not my mother," he said. "I didn't come back for your money, this house, or this family."
Then Kennedith.
"Control your household," Jedidiah said. "Before it becomes history repeating itself."
And he left.
No one followed.
Outside, Ava played a voice note she had just received.
Jedidiah listened.
His jaw tightened.
He sent a message.
After that, they entered the car and drove off.
Elsewhere, in a quiet private suite, Dr. Raymond read a message that drained the color from his face.