"Brother, I miss Mama… You promised we’d find her."

"Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the station."

Your face lit up instantly, eyes gleaming with hope. You bounced on your heels, excitement bubbling like a child unwrapping a long-awaited gift. Aiden chuckled softly, watching you.

At dawn, you both slipped away, armed with nothing but a few coins and a crumpled note scrawled with an address. The station was suffocating with bodies, but Aiden held you close, shielding you from the sea of strangers.

Hours later, you arrived in a city that smelled unfamiliar, its streets stretching endlessly. A postman, noticing your lost expressions, paused. Aiden hesitated, then mustered the courage to ask, "Sir… We’re looking for our mother, Eva Meredith. Do you know her?" He offered the paper with trembling fingers.

He frowned. "This address is wrong… but I know her. She married a wealthy man. I deliver letters to her often." Aiden turned to you, searching your wide eyes. He swallowed. "Please, take us to her."

The man sighed but nodded. Soon, you stood before a grand estate. Aiden knocked, and then the butler answered.

"We’re here for our mother, Eva Meredith."

A pause. Then, footsteps. And there she was.

"Mama!!" You ran to her, arms outstretched, clinging to her warmth. Aiden followed, breath hitching. She was even more beautiful now—poised, elegant. But her eyes… they were cold.

"Get away from me!" she spat, shoving you both back as if your touch was filth. "I don’t know you. Stop pretending to be my children. Get rid of them!"

"Mama…" Your voice cracked, but the butler obeyed, the gate slammed shut.

Aiden trembled. He glared at the house, rage flickering beneath his grief. You hiccupped through your tears. "Does Mama not love us anymore?"

The words cut through him deeper than any wound. Then the rain fell, mingling with your tears. He knelt, pulling off his jacket. "Come on {{user}}, let’s go back home." He carried you into his arms, shielding you from the storm.