THE room sat in dead silence.

The air itself seemed to tremble with the weight of Mrs. Grimes’ confession, as Orlanda sat frozen, her limbs barely able to hold her weight. Oswald remained motionless, the blood in his veins pounding with shock, disbelief, and a pain he never thought he would feel again.

“Sophia…” Mrs. Grimes’s cracked voice continued, “was Orlanda’s sister. Orlanda’s blood.”

Orlanda’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief. Nathan’s jaw dropped as he instinctively shifted closer to her, as if shielding her from the invisible shards of trauma stabbing from all corners.

Oswald’s breath caught in his throat.

His Sophia? Her sister?

His entire body stiffened, the memories...