CHAPTER 30

Ethan stood outside the wrought-iron gates of the Lennox family estate, hands clenched in his coat pockets as the wind tore through the November sky. The mansion loomed before him like a fortress of everything he had run from—gilded ceilings, cold expectations, and a lifetime of decisions made without him. It had been years since he'd come home without a family emergency forcing his hand. Tonight, he had chosen to face the war voluntarily. He stepped through the heavy front doors into the marbled foyer, where the scent of polished oak and expensive perfume lingered in the air. Classical music drifted softly from the parlor room, where laughter was peppered with the unmistakable tinkle of crystal glasses clinking. And there she was. “Ethan,” came his mother’s voice, clipped and precise, like her pearls. “Just in time. We were waiting for you.” He walked into the room, his presence stealing the attention like a stormcloud sliding over the sun. Emily sat perched on the ivory chaise,