AIDENI found Mother in the backyard, exactly where I knew she would be, standing on the trimmed grass with a golf club in her hands like the world had not just tilted under all of us. She was dressed in white and she looked so immaculate and controlled, with her hair pulled back neatly and her posture rigid in that familiar way that always made her look taller than she actually was. She took a slow swing, then she watched the ball disappear into the distance, and only then did she turn to look at me like I was an inconvenience she had not planned for.Her mouth tightened immediately, and I could tell she was already irritated, since she hadn’t expected to see me. It was the main reason why I didn’t tell her I was coming before I did, so I could take the time to savor this look of contempt on her face. “Hello, mother,” I said. “You look surprised to see me.”“I’m always surprised to see you, Aiden,” she said. “Sometimes I honestly forget I have a second son.”“Hurtful,” I said, stepp
Last Updated : 2025-12-21 Read more