Chapter 2. The Day Everything Changed

He felt forgotten.

The day he was released, a driver came to get him. Not his father. Not Cassian. A man in a black suit who said nothing during the long ride home. Lucien stared out the window, watching buildings blur into fields. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his chest.

When they reached the Ainsworth Estate, it was quiet. Too quiet. The usual staff weren’t at the door. No one welcomed him back.

The house looked the same — tall pillars, grand staircase, golden chandelier — but it felt like a museum. Cold. Empty. He walked through the halls alone, his footsteps echoing.

He found Gerard Ainsworth in the study, seated behind a large mahogany desk.

Lucien stepped inside slowly. “Father?”

His father didn’t look up from his papers. “You’re back.”

Lucien hesitated. “Where’s... where’s Mom?”

The air in the room changed.

Gerard finally looked at him. His eyes were sharp, unreadable. “She’s dead.”

Lucien’s legs went weak