He Yuchen drove back to the He family mansion in silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles whitened. The streetlights passed in a blur, and every turn of the wheel echoed the turmoil in his chest.
For years, he had trusted his mother implicitly. She had been his guide, his anchor, the woman who raised him, protected him, and shaped the man he had become.
Yet now, everything felt wrong. Yun Li's whispered warning, Yue Ning's frantic plea, Lin Mei's trembling confession—they all pointed to the same conclusion. And the thought that his mother might be the culprit gnawed at him relentlessly.
When he arrived at the mansion, he didn't pause. He strode inside, the hallways familiar yet suddenly foreign. Madam He was waiting, as though she had expected him. She didn't flinch. She didn't try to hide the faint smirk playing on her lips.
"You came," she said, her voice smooth and a smile dancing on her lips.
