The Lowe estate is unusually busy.
Tonight's banquet is not a celebration, but everyone knows it marks the end of something long and brutal.
And the beginning of something new.
When Madam Lowe sees the man standing in the living room, she collapses.
Moments later, in the upstairs bedroom, she wakes with a sharp gasp, fingers clutching the bedsheets—until they close around a familiar hand.
Her eldest son.
"Julian..." Her voice breaks instantly. Tears spill without restraint. "My son. My precious son. Do you know how much I cried for you? Do you know how much my heart hurt?"
She reaches up, trembling, touching his face again and again as if afraid he might vanish. "You've lost so much weight. You must have suffered. But you're home now. You're home. Mommy will take care of you again."
