The years they were apart had left him with a heavy regret, and now, standing in front of her, all he wanted was to reach out and sohow repair what had been broken. His heart hurt with the need to reconnect, to sohow rebuild the relationship they had lost. He didn't even notice that his eyes were now filled with a silent plea, hoping for a chance to heal the deep wounds between them.
Thomas, beside him, felt the crushing force of guilt bearing down on him. Every choice he hadn't made, every mont he hadn't stood up when it mattered, now flooded his mind with painful clarity. Seeing Emmaline again brought the full extent of what he did, or rather, what he didn't do, and the guilt was almost suffocating. He didn't know what he should do next.
And so, he could only stand there and stare.
Casey, on the other hand, felt a mixture of excitent and apprehension. mories of his sister surfaced in his mind, bringing him a rush of joy and nervousness. His heart beat faster with the hope of rekindling the bond they had once shared, but there was also a small, nagging fear of how much might have changed. Still, his eyes lit up with genuine affection as he stared at Emmy.
The different reactions of the three Grimaldi n were clear to everyone in the drawing room, but none of them said a word. They knew it wasn't their place to speak. Even Nicol, who would usually have said sothing by now, stayed quiet. He looked nervous, glancing between his family and the woman who was supposed to be his aunt.
He had planned to greet her with a bright smile, ready to unleash his full charm. Uncle Casey always said that no one could resist his cuteness, and he was counting on that to soften his aunt's heart. If he could manage that, maybe she wouldn't be angry with his dad and grandpa anymore.
But when he saw the way his dad and grandpa looked at his aunt, his eyes began to sting, and his throat tightened. He didn't understand why, but it made him feel like crying. All he could do was stare blankly, trying to make sense of the situation, confused by the serious expressions on their faces and the heavy feeling in the room.
Then Nicol felt a gentle hand stroke his head. He looked up and saw his Brother Aster smiling down at him. It was a reassuring smile that seed to say everything would be okay. Sohow, just seeing that smile made the heavy feeling in his chest begin to ease.
Astrid glanced at his mother. Although she appeared calm, he could tell it was just a front. The fact that she wasn't even looking at the duke or Thomas made it clear that she was far from alright.
To break the heavy atmosphere, he stepped forward and gave his mother a quick hug, then did the sa with his father. "I missed you, Mom, Dad."
"Welco ho, Aster," his father said, his voice soft and his gaze tender.
His mother cupped his face in her hands. "Look at you. Why do you seem thinner than before? You're not skipping als just because you're busy, are you?"
A helpless smile crossed Astrid's face. He glanced over at Reas, who wore the sa expression, likely having heard the sa concern from their mother before. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm eating just fine," Astrid reassured her gently.
After the brief greeting and conversation, Casey couldn't hold back any longer. He rushed forward, stopping just a few steps away from Emmy.
"Hi," he finally managed to say, after standing there, staring at his sister.
Emmy turned to her younger brother. Although they had talked over video calls and she'd seen him on screen, seeing him in person felt completely different. Seeing him up close, with all the little details she had forgotten, made her realize how much she had missed him.
"Casey," she called, her voice a bit strained.
Casey fiddled at the hem of his clothes, just like how he often did when he was a child whenever he was feeling nervous. "Can I hug you?"
Instead of replying, Emmy simply opened her arms and pulled her younger brother into a tight hug. "I missed you, Casey," she whispered.
Casey froze for a mont, then wrapped his arms around Emmy, holding her tightly. " too," he murmured, "so much, so very much."
Seeing Uncle Casey hug his aunt, Nicol thought this might be a good ti to introduce himself. He glanced over at his dad and grandpa, noticing the envy in their eyes as they watched Uncle Casey and Aunt Emmy. Maybe if he showed his cuteness, his aunt would give his dad and grandpa a hug too.
As soon as his uncle and aunt finished hugging, Nicol quickly walked over, a big smile on his face. "Hi, Aunt Emmy! I'm Nicol Grimaldi. But you can just call Nikki. You might not know , but I'm your nephew. Can I have a hug, too, please?"
Emmy looked down at the child. Astrid had ntioned that Tommy's son would be joining them, so this must be him. Nicol had the unmistakable Grimaldi hair and eyes, but, interestingly, he resembled Casey more than Tommy. Probably because of that big, bright smile he had. Even the way he spoke was cute.
She smiled and knelt down to wrap her arms around the boy. "Welco to our humble abode, Nikki."
Nicol hugged her back. "I love your house! It's so pretty—just like you, Aunt Emmy."
Emmy chuckled at that. Was this cheerful kid really the son of the ever solemn Tommy?
Casey and Nicol's actions inspired Wulfric, who had been silent for a while. So, he also stepped forward and bravely greeted Gage and Emmy.
"Hello, father-in-law, mother-in-law!"
The air in the room seed to turn to a freezing point after that greeting.
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