Chapter 6 - The Sterling Estate
Two days later, a private medical transport sedan pulled through the grand wrought-iron gates of the Sterling Estate in Lake Forest, Illinois.
The estate sat on thirty acres of pristine, rolling forest land overlooking Lake Michigan. The stone mansion, built in the early 1920s, had been my childhood home—a place filled with warm memories of my late mother, private tutors, and endless summer afternoons spent reading beneath the weeping willow trees by the pond.
For three years, I had avoided bringing Rowan here, always convincing him to spend holidays at his mother’s cramped, pretentiously decorated suburban house in Oak Park. I had been terrified that showing him this world would corrupt our relationship, making me wonder if he stayed for me or for the wealth.
How foolish I had been. He had used me anyway, extracting hundreds of thousands of dollars through quiet embezzlement while treating me like a second-class citizen in my own home.
As the car pulled up to the grand front steps, a team of house staff—led by Mrs. Gable, our housekeeper who had known me since I was five years old—stood waiting to welcome us.
"Welcome home, Miss Phoebe!" Mrs. Gable beamed, her eyes welling with tears as she looked down at the infant car seat I carried in my arm. "And oh... look at little Master Leo! He looks just like you when you were a baby!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Gable," I smiled, stepping into the grand foyer, where a warm fire crackled in the stone fireplace, sending the comforting scent of oak smoke through the warm air.
The nursery on the second floor had been completely transformed in less than forty-eight hours. What had once been my mother’s quiet painting studio was now a serene, sunlit sanctuary decorated in soft creams, sage greens, and natural wood furniture. A custom wooden crib sat near the window, and state-of-the-art baby monitoring systems had been discreetly integrated into the antique walls.
Dad walked into the room, carrying a silver tray with hot tea and fresh pastries.
"I had the security team upgrade the perimeter fence this morning," Dad said, setting the tray on a side table. "No press, no reporters, and certainly no Morettis will ever get within five miles of this property."
"Thank you, Dad," I said, sinking into a plush velvet rocking chair, gently rocking Leo as he nursed from a bottle. "It feels surreal. Just four days ago, I was sitting in our Gold Coast apartment, worrying about whether I could afford a night nurse while Rowan was out buying watches."
"You never have to worry about anything again, Phoebe," Dad said, his eyes filled with absolute determination. "You are a Sterling. And more importantly, you are a mother who protected her child when it mattered most."
My phone chimed softly on the side table. It was a notification from Harrison Cole:
"Pre-trial hearing concluded. Rowan Moretti’s bail application denied due to flight risk and ongoing federal indictment. Trial date set for November 12th. Emergency custody order signed by Judge Vance. You have 100% legal custody, effective immediately."
May you like
I closed the text message, set my phone down, and leaned my head back against the cushion of the rocking chair, listening to the soft sound of Leo’s quiet breathing.
For the first time in three years, the heavy, suffocating anxiety in my chest was completely gone. I was finally safe. My son was safe.
