The day started like any other at the Cain estate. William woke up early, dressed in his usual casual clothes, and moved through the grand halls of the house. The place was beautiful, luxurious, filled with wealth and power—but it was never home to him. The opulence felt hollow, a constant reminder that he didn't belong here. The weight of that truth pressed on him more heavily with each passing day.
As he made his way downstairs for some coffee, he overheard voices coming from the sitting room. Ethan's unmistakable voice echoed through the slightly ajar door, dripping with disdain.
"You think he'll make it out there? Please, the boy's never known anything but handouts," Ethan laughed, his tone sharp and mocking. "He'll fail the moment he steps outside this house."
William paused at the door, his chest tightening. He had heard them talk about him like this before. To them, he was an inconvenience, a burden they had tolerated out of obligation.
Greg's deep voice followed. "William has no idea what it takes to survive in the real world. He'll come crawling back the moment he realizes that."
William clenched his fists at his sides, a storm of emotions brewing inside him. He could feel the weight of their dismissal, their belief that he was nothing without them. But today, something felt different. Today, the words didn't just sting—they sparked something deeper inside him, something that had been quietly growing over the years.
He couldn't stay here any longer.
With a quiet resolve, William turned and walked upstairs, heading to his small room. He didn't need their approval. He didn't need their validation. He had his own path to walk, and staying in this house—surrounded by people who would never see him as anything but weak—was holding him back.
He glanced around his room, knowing that he would leave everything behind. He didn't need anything from this place. Not their wealth, not their comforts. Just the clothes on his back. He grabbed his jacket and headed back downstairs, determined not to let them have the final say.
As he reached the front door, Ethan's voice called out behind him, dripping with amusement. "Running away, Rothschild?"
William turned to face him. Ethan leaned against the doorway, a smug grin on his face. Behind him, Greg Cain sat in his usual armchair, uninterested but aware of what was happening.
"I'm leaving," William said, his voice steady. "Not running."
Ethan's smirk widened. "Right. Because you'll be so much better off out there. We both know you'll be back, begging for help."
William met his gaze, unflinching. "I won't be coming back."
Greg finally spoke, his voice as cold as ever. "The world isn't kind to boys like you, William. You've never faced it on your own. You won't last a day out there."
William's jaw tightened, but he kept his tone calm. "I'll be fine."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and opened the door, stepping out into the crisp evening air. The Cain estate loomed behind him, but for the first time in years, he felt free. He didn't look back as the door closed behind him. The laughter from inside the house faded as he walked down the driveway and into the city.