The morning after the news broke, a heavy silence lingered over the Davies estate.
Outside, rainwater clung to the hedges lining the driveway, while a cool breeze carried the scent of freshly cut grass through the open windows.
Inside, life appeared normal.
At least on the surface.
Adeline stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast, her sleeves rolled neatly to her elbows as she stirred a saucepan of scrambled eggs.
Mrs. Carter smiled approvingly.
"You'll have me out of a job soon."
Adeline laughed.
"I don't think anyone could replace you."
"I'll remember you said that."
Their laughter echoed through the kitchen.
Moments later, Jarvis wandered in, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Morning."
"You look terrible," Adeline teased.
"I was up watching football."
"You mean you fell asleep halfway through the match again?"
"I refuse to answer that."
She laughed and handed him a mug of coffee.
"There."
"My favourite sister-in-law."
"I'm your only sister-in-law."
"Exactly."
He raised the mug in appreciation.
"And I'd like to keep it that way."
The words slipped out before he realised what he'd said.
An awkward silence followed.
Jarvis looked away, clearing his throat.
"I meant..."
"I know what you meant," Adeline interrupted gently with a smile.
She didn't think anything of it.
To her, Jarvis had become the younger brother she'd never had.
His kindness felt natural.
Safe.
That innocent smile made the guilt in Jarvis's chest even heavier.
By mid-morning, Dwayne descended the staircase dressed for work.
His tie was perfectly straight.
His suit immaculate.
Yet the exhaustion beneath his eyes was impossible to hide.
"You hardly slept," Adeline observed.
"I'm alright."
"You've said that every day this week."
He kissed her forehead.
"I'll catch up tonight."
She watched him carefully.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
He forced a smile before leaving for the office.
From the front window, Adeline watched his car disappear beyond the gates.
Something wasn't right.
She couldn't explain it.
But every day...
Her husband seemed to be carrying a weight he refused to share.
That afternoon, Jarvis found Adeline sitting beneath the old oak tree in the estate garden.
An album of family photographs rested on her lap.
"You escaped."
"I needed some fresh air."
He sat beside her.
"What are you looking at?"
She turned one of the photographs toward him.
A younger Jonathan Brown stood beside a teenage Adeline, both laughing at something outside the frame.
"My uncle."
Jarvis smiled politely.
"He looks like someone who enjoyed making people laugh."
"He did."
Adeline traced the edge of the photograph.
"He believed everyone deserved the truth."
"He used to tell me..."
She smiled as she remembered.
'The truth may break your heart, Addie... but lies will break your soul.'
Jarvis remained silent.
"He inspired me to become a journalist."
"I wanted to expose corruption the way he always dreamed of doing."
She sighed.
"I still miss him."
"I always will."
Jarvis looked at the photograph again.
He had never met Jonathan Brown.
But seeing the affection in Adeline's eyes made him understand why his brother carried so much pain.
Not because he knew the whole story.
Because he knew enough to realise the past wasn't finished with them.
He gently closed the album.
"Your uncle would be proud of you."
Adeline smiled.
"I hope so."
Meanwhile...
Hundreds of miles away in North Yorkshire...
Detective Inspector Blackwood Hawthorne stood before a wall covered in photographs.
Two victims.
Two crime scenes.
Two cream-coloured envelopes.
His team watched in silence.
"What do we know?" Hawthorne asked.
Detective Sergeant Mathew Jones stepped forward.
"Both victims attended Blackthorn University approximately ten years ago."
The room fell quiet.
"They weren't close friends," she continued.
"But they belonged to the same student leadership society."
Hawthorne folded his arms.
"So someone has waited a decade..."
"...to begin killing them."
He stared at the photographs.
"This isn't random."
"No, sir."
"It never is."
Back in London...
That evening, the Davies family gathered for dinner.
Rose had stopped by after work, insisting she missed everyone already.
Conversation flowed easily.
Mrs. Carter complained about Jarvis stealing biscuits before dinner.
Rose laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
Even Dwayne managed a genuine smile.
For a little while...
The darkness remained outside the walls of the estate.
Then Dwayne's phone vibrated.
Once.
Unknown Number.
His smile disappeared.
He excused himself quietly and stepped into the hallway before opening the message.
A single image appeared on the screen.
An old Blackthorn University student identification card.
The photograph had been burned away.
Across it, written in black ink, were the chilling words.
"One remembers. Five remain."
Dwayne's heart pounded.
Five.
There had been seven of them.
Jonathan...
...and the six who had survived that night.
Someone wasn't choosing victims at random.
Someone was crossing names off a list.
Behind him, a floorboard creaked.
He turned sharply.
Adeline stood at the end of the hallway.
She smiled softly.
"There you are."
"Dinner's getting cold."
Dwayne quickly locked his phone.
"I'm coming."
As she walked back toward the dining room, she never noticed the fear in her husband's eyes.
But someone else did.
Jarvis.
Standing quietly on the staircase above.
Watching.
Wondering.
For the first time...
He began to fear that whatever secret Dwayne had buried ten years ago...
...was no longer buried at all.