Dinner felt like a play where Kyle was cast in a role he didn't know, and the rest of the family were reading lines from some script he wasn't given. The table was adorned with fine china and flickering candles, casting shadows on the faces around him. Elizabeth sat at the head, her presence commanding despite her age, while Isaac occupied the other end, quietly observing the interactions. Kyle felt out of place, the tension at the table as palpable as the scent of roasted meat.
As the meal continued, Clarissa, who sat to Elizabeth's right, broke the silence. "So, Kyle, what is it that you do for a living?" she asked, her voice polite but edged with a hint of curiosity that bordered on judgment.
Kyle shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "I… I'm a gardener," he said, looking down at his plate, expecting the quiet to return.
Instead, Elise snorted, then broke into laughter. It was sharp and short, almost involuntary. The laughter died instantly when Clarissa shot her a glare, her eyes as cold as the silver utensils beside her plate.
"Ignore her," Maria, who sat across from Kyle, interjected. "She's just being… well, a bit of a bitch, as usual." Maria's voice was casual, as if they were discussing the weather.
Clarissa sighed and shook her head. "Oh my God, you girls need to stop," she said, glancing between Maria and Elise. "It's dinner, not a reality show."
Maria shrugged. "I was just defending Kyle."
Kyle felt heat rise to his cheeks, a mix of embarrassment and discomfort. "It's okay," he murmured, hoping to move on from the attention.
But Elise wasn't done. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she looked at him. "Are we just going to ignore the fact that he was shot?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why was he shot, anyway?"
Elizabeth slammed her hand on the table, rattling the dishes and sending a shockwave of silence around the room. "Enough!" she commanded, her voice hard as stone. "This is a family dinner, and I will not have such nonsense here. My dead son's child is finally back, and we are not turning this into an interrogation." Her gaze locked onto Elise, her eyes full of a matriarch's unyielding authority. "No more shenanigans from you, Elise."
"Fine!" Elise snapped, pushing her chair back so roughly it scraped against the floor with a grating sound. "I don't want to be here anyway," she spat, turning on her heel and storming out of the dining room.
Clarissa shook her head as she watched Elise's retreating figure. "I'm sorry, Mother," she said to Elizabeth. "You know how she's been ever since her father died. It's been difficult to"
"Control her," Elizabeth finished for her, her tone softer now, though a shadow lingered in her eyes. "She's lost, like so many of us are." Her gaze turned toward Isaac. "Speaking of which, when is Liam coming back? I thought he'd be here for this… reunion."
Isaac leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "He called this morning," he said. "I told him about Kyle, and he said he'd be arriving tomorrow. He wanted to catch the first flight."
"Good," Elizabeth said, her face softening with a slight smile. "It will be wonderful to have all my grandchildren under one roof."
At that moment, John entered the dining room, his gaze immediately finding Kyle, who felt a shiver run down his spine. John's eyes seemed to hold an unspoken warning, like he was silently reminding Kyle of their earlier conversation. He then turned to the rest of the family and said, "I hope everyone is enjoying their meal." He paused, then looked back at Kyle. "You just had surgery. You should be resting."
Kyle glanced at Elizabeth, uncertain of what to do. She nodded. "Yes, dear," she said gently. "You should rest. We don't want you pushing yourself too hard."
Relieved to be leaving the tense atmosphere, Kyle stood up slowly, careful not to show any signs of weakness. He felt their eyes following him as he made his way toward the door, the dining room fading behind him. As he walked down the hallway, he glanced back and saw John still staring at him, his expression unreadable. The hairs on Kyle's neck prickled; there was something unsettling about the way John watched him, like he was studying a problem that needed solving.
The hallway branched off into two wings, each leading to different parts of the mansion. As Kyle approached the junction, he noticed Elise standing in the shadowed corner, her face illuminated by the faint glow of her phone. She looked up as he neared, her eyes meeting his with a coldness that pierced through the dim light.
"Nice show you put on back there," she said, her tone laced with contempt.
Kyle felt his jaw tighten. "What's your problem, anyway?" he shot back, tired of her attitude. But Elise didn't answer. She just smirked, as if amused by his reaction, then went back to staring at her phone. Kyle muttered something under his breath and continued walking, trying to shake off the irritation she stirred up inside him.
Finally, he reached his room at the end of the east wing and closed the door behind him. He let out a slow breath, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. But as the silence of the room settled around him, that uneasy feeling returned, creeping in from the corners. The room was large and well-furnished, yet something about it felt… wrong. The darkness seemed too deep, the air too still.
He went over to the window, pulling back the heavy drapes. Outside, the vast estate stretched out, dimly lit by scattered lanterns along the driveway. The gardens, which looked so picturesque during the day, now seemed like a dark maze of twisting paths and shadows. In the distance, the silhouette of a marble statue, a woman in flowing robes, stood in the middle of a fountain, its face turned toward the house, as if watching.
Kyle stepped back from the window, a sense of dread twisting in his gut. He turned and looked around the room again, his eyes falling on a large antique mirror in the corner. The frame was carved with intricate patterns, but it was the reflection that drew his attention.
His thoughts drifted back to the dinner conversation. Why had John seemed so eager to get him to leave the table? Why did Elise act as though he didn't belong here? And what was it about this house that made him feel as though it was holding its breath, as if waiting for something… or someone?
Kyle sank down onto the edge of the bed, his mind spinning. He was surrounded by family, but still felt like a stranger, an intruder in a life that was supposed to be his. The truth was, he wasn't sure if he had come home… or if he had walked into a trap.