THE SUNROOM
"Autumn Martins?" someone murmured, testing the name on their tongue like it was a piece of spoiled fruit.
"Who the hell is Autumn Martins?" another cousin asked, looking around the room as if the answer might be written on the expensive wall lined with intricate paints.
"Uncle, this must be a joke, right? You are joking, right?" Chloe asked, her voice trembling. She looked from her grandfather to Eric, searching for a punchline. "It's another Autumn, isn't it? Not my Autumn."
Chloe shook her head, a nervous laugh escaping her lips, but the look on Eric’s face stopped her cold. It was stone. It was serious.
"First of all," Eric said, his voice slicing through the room like a blade. He pointed a glare at everyone, but it lingered heavily on his niece. "You should address he
