After confirming it was truly Liam standing at the door, Ane didn't waste a single second. She stepped aside at once, ushering him into the estate with a briskness that betrayed her surprise, then guided him down the familiar hallway toward the waiting room. She asked him to stay there for a moment while she went to inform Dr. Dain and Madam Rose of his arrival.
Liam settled into the waiting room—a space he knew well, one that hadn't changed in the slightest. The walls held the same paintings, the shelves the same books, the air the same quiet warmth that always hovered in the Silverhart household. He let his eyes roam without lingering too long, absorbing the familiarity piece by piece, until the soft sound of the doorknob turning pulled him from his thoughts.
The door opened, and two figures stepped inside.
