[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322AB8D26-489":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},489,12,"Chapter 12: The First Class Ticket to Nowhere","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Alan sat on the park bench, his charcoal pencil scratching against the paper. Two days of relative peace, and then the noise began.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Alan!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His hand froze. He let out a dry, hollow laugh. \"Judith, listen to that. The mountain wind is so strong it’s conjuring ghosts.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Judith looked toward the park entrance. Three figures were sprinting toward them, faces flushed with exertion. \"Not ghosts, Alan. Debt collectors.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Luciana reached them first, her expensive coat covered in road dust.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Alan, I finally found you...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Dad! You have no idea how hard we’ve been looking for you!\" Charlotte threw herself forward, sobbing. \"Felix is sick, he keeps calling for his grandfather. Killian was a fraud—he’s behind bars now, and everything is out in the open. Dad, please, come home. We’ll take care of you, I promise!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Brody nodded frantically, his voice strained. \"Exactly, Dad! Look at you, wandering around in the middle of nowhere. What if something happened to you? I’ve already booked your flight home. First class.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Alan looked at his children, at the entitlement etched into their faces, and laughed. A real, sharp laugh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Home? Which home? The one where you pinned me to the wall and frisked me for being a thief? Or the one where I served for thirty years only to be shoved aside for a con artist?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Alan, that was all a misunderstanding!\" Luciana pleaded, her hands trembling. \"I’ve checked the files. Killian fooled me. These thirty years haven’t been easy for me, either. I did it for the project—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Luciana,\" Alan cut her off. \"You did it for the project, so I deserve to be treated like garbage? Is that it?\" He gestured to Brody and Charlotte. \"I’ve failed at many things, but I think my greatest failure was raising these two to be just like you. Blind to everything but their own convenience.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stood up, packed his sketchbook, and gestured to Judith. \"The air is clear here. Don’t pollute it.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As they walked away, security stopped the three. Luciana crumpled onto the grass, her posture deflating like a punctured tire.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What do we do now, Mom?\" Charlotte sobbed. \"He won't even look at us.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Luciana tightened her jaw. \"He’s stubborn, but he’s soft-hearted. We book a spot in their tour group. We follow them. Eventually, he'll crack.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That night, the temperature plummeted. The tour group lit a bonfire, the flames casting dancing shadows against the dark pines. Alan and Judith sat together, discussing lighting ratios for their photos. Luciana sat on the periphery, a heavy wool coat in her lap. She stood to approach him, but Judith stepped in, a wall of iron.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We don't need the grand gestures now, Dr. Moore,\" Judith said, her voice dripping with irony. \"Alan is doing just fine without your delayed pity.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The laughter of the other seniors died down, replaced by a tense silence. Luciana withdrew, her face burning. Brody and Charlotte sat in the dirt, looking like misplaced mannequins.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Luciana turned to an elderly man beside her. \"Why is he so cruel? I know I made mistakes, but I’ve apologized...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The man took a long drag of his cigarette and looked her dead in the eye. \"Cruel? You think he’s cruel? After thirty years of him playing house-husband to your kids, you show up and try to kick him out? Every soul on this bus knows what you did.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Colette chimed in, her voice shrill and sharp. \"Drop the act, lady! You were off playing ‘important scientist,’ but you didn’t have to play the part of the unfaithful wife. Your moral compass didn't just break; it rotted.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You don't understand,\" Luciana stammered, her face a deep crimson. \"Killian was a liar—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Liar?\" Colette scoffed. \"You’re a genius, and you were fooled for thirty years? I think you liked the attention, and now that your free babysitter has a life, you’re just here to drag him back to the kitchen.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Charlotte stood up, her face twisted in rage. \"You have no right! My father gave his life to us because he wanted to—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Judith cut her off, pointing a finger at her. \"You’re both highly educated, aren't you? It’s a shame all that schooling didn't teach you a single thing about decency. Get lost.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272925681]