Chapter 4 - The Shelter on Fourth Street
The rain had turned into a steady,
miserable drizzle by the time Margaret decided to leave the manor.
She refused to let Julian’s medical team touch Leo until she had more answers,
so she slipped out through the servant’s entrance,
taking the boy with her.
They drove in silence through the gray streets of the city,
eventually arriving at the gritty,
industrial district on Fourth Street.
The neighborhood was a stark contrast to the affluent suburbs of the Hale estate,
filled with cracked sidewalks,
boarded-up storefronts,
and down-on-their-luck people.
Leo pointed out a low brick building with a faded sign that read “St.
Jude’s Sanctuary.”
“This is where we lived,” Leo said quietly,
staring out the car window at the bleak building.
“After my mom got sick,
we couldn't pay rent anymore,
so Mr.
Hale found us this place.”
Margaret turned off the engine,
staring at the shelter with a mixture of sorrow and burning curiosity.
She stepped out of the luxury car,
feeling the eyes of the neighborhood regulars on her expensive wool coat and designer boots.
She held Leo’s hand tightly as they walked through the heavy glass doors,
entering a crowded,
noisy reception area.
The smell of cheap soup,
bleach,
and damp clothing hung heavy in the air,
making Margaret cough slightly.
An older woman with kind eyes and graying hair sat behind a reception desk,
her face lighting up when she saw the boy.
“Leo!” the woman cried,
stepping out from behind the desk to hug him tightly.
“Oh,
sweetheart,
we were so worried about you when you didn't come back two nights ago.”
“I’m okay,
Martha,” Leo said,
looking up at her.
“I did what Mr.
Hale told me to do,
I found Mrs.
Hale.”
Martha stopped,
her eyes shifting to Margaret,
her expression instantly turning guarded and serious.
“So,
you’re Margaret Hale,” Martha said,
her tone losing its warmth.
“Edward spoke about you often,
mostly about how much he regretted keeping you in the dark.”
“You knew my husband?” Margaret asked,
stepping closer to the desk.
“Edward Hale practically funded this entire shelter for the last five years,” Martha revealed,
gesturing for them to follow her into a private office.
“But he didn't do it just out of charity,
he did it because Clara and Leo were here,
and he was trying to make amends.”
Margaret sat down in a plastic chair,
feeling the reality of her life crumbling further with every word.
“Please,
tell me everything,” Margaret pleaded.
“What happened to Clara?
What did Edward tell you?”
Martha sighed,
leaning back against her desk as she crossed her arms.
“Clara arrived here five years ago,
broken,
sick,
and hiding from someone,” Martha began.
“She wouldn't tell us her real name at first,
but then Edward showed up one Thursday,
and when he saw her,
he fell to his knees weeping.”
“Did he know she had a child?” Margaret asked.
“He didn't know until that exact moment,” Martha said.
“Clara had kept Leo a secret from everyone,
fearing that the Hale family would take him away or destroy him like she claimed they destroyed Daniel.”
Margaret gasped,
her hand flying to her mouth.
“Destroyed Daniel?
Daniel died in a car accident,
it was a tragedy,
but it was an accident.”
Martha looked at Margaret with a pitying expression that made the widow’s blood run cold.
“That’s the story Edward told the world,
and maybe it’s the story he wanted to believe,” Martha said softly.
“But Clara always claimed that Daniel’s death was no accident,
and she believed he was killed because he was going to expose the family company’s illegal dealings.”
The room went completely silent,
save for the hum of an old refrigerator in the corner.
Margaret felt a wave of dizziness wash over her,
clutching the armrests of the chair to keep from falling.
“Who would kill him?” Margaret whispered,
though deep down,
a terrifying name was already forming in her mind.
Martha shook her head.
“Clara never said a specific name,
she was too terrified,
but she said the person who did it was still running the company.”
Leo looked at Margaret,
his young face full of confusion and fear,
unaware of the depth of the horror they were uncovering.
Suddenly,
the office door flew open,
and a burly security guard stepped in,
looking panicked.
“Martha,
we have a problem,” the guard said.
“There are three men in dark suits outside,
they claim they have a legal order to take the boy into state custody.”
Margaret stood up instantly,
her eyes flashing with anger as she realized Julian had tracked them down.
“They are not taking him,” Margaret declared,
her voice ringing with absolute authority.
May you like
“He is my grandson,
and I will protect him with everything I have left.”
