Chapter 21 - A Quiet Storm
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The thunderstorm rolled into Chicago with violent aggression.
Lightning fractured the dark sky, followed immediately by bone-rattling thunder.
The massive windows of the Blackwood estate rattled in their frames.
Victor was reading in bed, the dim lamp casting a warm glow over the sheets.
Lily was already asleep beside him, breathing evenly.
A sudden, deafening crack of thunder shook the floorboards.
A moment later, the bedroom door creaked open.
A small, trembling silhouette stood in the doorway.
Ethan was clutching his stuffed bear, his eyes wide with genuine terror.
“Daddy?”
Victor immediately put his book down.
“Come here, buddy.”
Ethan scrambled up onto the high mattress, diving beneath the thick comforter.
He pressed himself entirely against Victor’s side, shaking uncontrollably.
Victor wrapped a strong arm around his son, holding him close.
“It’s just noise, Ethan. The house is strong.”
“It’s too loud,” Ethan whimpered.
Lily stirred, waking up at the sound of Ethan’s voice.
She turned over and smiled sleepily, pulling the blankets higher around the boy.
“The sky is just rearranging the furniture,” Lily murmured, kissing Ethan’s forehead.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the room.
Victor tightened his grip.
He remembered being a child in a storm.
His father had told him that fear was a weakness.
That men did not hide from the thunder.
Victor had spent his entire life trying to be a man who felt nothing.
But looking down at his son, he realized how profoundly wrong his father had been.
“You know what I do when it's loud?” Victor asked softly.
Ethan peeked out from under the blanket.
“What?”
“I count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder,” Victor explained. “It tells you how far away the storm is. The longer you count, the safer you are.”
Ethan looked doubtful, but curious.
A flash of lightning lit up the sky.
“Count with me,” Victor instructed.
“One… two… three… four…”
A low rumble of thunder rolled through the walls.
“Four seconds,” Victor said. “It is moving away from us.”
Ethan’s breathing began to slow down.
He rested his small head against Victor’s chest, listening to his father's steady heartbeat.
“Are you scared of anything, Daddy?” Ethan asked quietly.
Victor looked at Lily, who was watching him with absolute love.
“Yes,” Victor answered honestly. “I am.”
“Of storms?”
“No,” Victor whispered, resting his chin on Ethan’s head. “Of ever losing the two of you.”
May you like
Ethan drifted to sleep a few minutes later, safe in the center of the storm.
Victor stayed awake, watching over them until the morning light broke through the clouds.
