Garet stood by the lake's edge, surrounded by the stillness of dawn as a gentle mist rose from the water. The vast estate around him lay quiet, the only sound coming from the breeze whispering through the trees. Though he now lived far from his father's house in the English countryside, his memories of those early years had a way of creeping back in the silence.
As he gazed at the glassy surface of the lake, his mind drifted back to a time when he was small and life seemed simple before he'd understood the weight of betrayal.
"Where is Mummy?" Five-year-old Garet had asked, his voice trembling, his small hand tugging at his father's coat.
His father, Timothy, looked down at him with a hard, unyielding gaze. "She has left us, Garet. She does not love us, and she does not love you."
Garet's chin quivered as he shook his head. "No, that's not true! Mummy loves me she told me she'd always be here for me!"
But Timothy's expression did not soften. "You will not see her again. Delinda will care for you now." And with that, he turned, leaving Garet alone with a broken heart and a locked door until he had learned to "behave."
Years passed, and that moment became an unhealed scar. Garet grew up abroad, away from the suffocating presence of his father, his stepmother Delinda, and her spoiled son, Edward. Without the love and warmth he'd yearned for as a boy, Garet had fashioned himself into a reserved man, both skeptical and guarded. He trusted few and cared little for companionship, skeptical of anything that resembled affection.
He had often wondered why his mother had left. He remembered himself as an obedient child surely, he hadn't been so terrible. But time had done little to answer those questions, and his father's words haunted him still.
Life under Delinda's reign had only worsened with time. She had brought her son Edward into the household, a boy who quickly became Garet's adversary. Edward delighted in provoking Garet and playing the victim whenever a quarrel arose. The charade fooled their father, who urged Garet to "take care of his younger brother" while issuing stern punishments that only deepened his resentment.
When Garet grew old enough, he left for good, seeking refuge from the toxic web of his father's household. He despised them all for the loveless life they had imposed upon him, and yet he couldn't quite banish the lingering question of his mother's disappearance.
A sudden ringing broke through his reverie. He glanced at the telephone before picking up, already recognizing the voice on the other end.
"Mr. Garet, your father requests your presence at the family estate for the Cotswold Harvest Festival," said Mr. Jules, his father's ever-loyal steward. "He believes it would be a fine occasion for you to consider finding a suitable maiden to wed."
"I am not interested," Garet replied, voice curt, and ended the call without another thought.
This was not the first time he'd been summoned home. For three years now, his father had sent word inviting him back for the festival. And for three years, he'd ignored it.
Yet, as he looked out over the lake, he wondered. What if returning could offer some answers? The countryside had always felt haunted by the mystery of his mother's disappearance, a mystery he had never been able to solve. If he could learn anything of her of why she had left perhaps he could find peace.
Resolved, Garet decided he would go back to the place he once called home, though he wouldn't bother to announce his arrival. If his search yielded nothing, he could simply leave once again. But if there was the slightest chance of uncovering the truth, he would take it.
What he did not know was that the countryside held secrets beyond anything he could imagine. It would challenge the defenses he had so carefully constructed, awakening emotions he believed himself incapable of feeling. And as he unraveled the tangled web of his past, he would have to face a choice to accept the love he had long denied, or to turn away forever.