Chapter 8: The Ghost Steps Forward
It was only then that Arthur finally moved. His polished wingtips clicked against the marble as he stepped out of the shadows and approached the two of them. Mateo flinched instinctively, anticipating the harsh reprimand, the booming voice, the inevitable punishment. He shrank behind Rosa, using the maid as a human shield against his own father.
Arthur stopped a few feet away, looking at the broken Venus, the shattered cup, and finally, at his terrified son. His throat felt incredibly tight. He looked at Rosa, his employee, the woman who had just done in twelve seconds what he had failed to do in three years. There was a long, suffocating pause. Arthur opened his mouth to speak, to assert his authority, but the words died on his tongue. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to speak to his own flesh and blood.
