ERIC’S POV

Before she could speak, my mother’s voice sliced through the tense atmosphere like a whip, laced with fury as she emerged from the hallway beside the grand staircase, adjusting the silky sash of her robe with a deliberate poise.

Behind her was a young man I quickly recognized as my brother, whose name I learned was Edmund. The moment I realized it was him, my eyes widened in surprise, and my mind momentarily pulled from the chaos unfolding before me.

He looked more mature now, unlike that image of him in the family portrait. He was much taller, masculine, clean-shaven but with light stubble on his cheeks probably...