Chapter 4
The warning tone from the oxygen machine was soft.
Too soft for what it meant.
Arthur’s chest tightened as the airflow stopped. He kept his eyes on Marcus, refusing to give him the satisfaction of panic.
Marcus misread control as weakness.
That was another family tradition.
He leaned over the bed and placed the document across Arthur’s blanket.
“Sign this, and I’ll turn the oxygen back on.”
The pen rolled slightly against Arthur’s ribs.
Arthur looked at the paper.
Estate transfer authorization.
Not readable in detail from where he lay, but familiar in shape.
Marcus had always loved documents with pressure attached.
Arthur’s right hand trembled.
Marcus smiled.
“Come on. Don’t make this dramatic.”
Arthur could barely draw enough breath, but his mind stayed clear.
The smartwatch pressed cold against his wrist.
His thumb found the button.
One press.
Hold.
Vibration.
Livestream active.
Arthur looked up.
“You always were impatient.”
Marcus’s smile faded.
“What does that mean?”
Arthur did not answer.
He saved his breath.
The watch did the speaking now.
Somewhere outside the room, Evelyn Shaw’s phone would be lighting up.
Somewhere beyond Marcus’s control, the video would be preserved.
The oxygen plug.
The document.
The threat.
The son.
May you like
All of it.
Read the full story 👉 Arthur did not have the strength to fight Marcus physically, so he used the one button Marcus forgot to check.
