The Price of Shadows

Chapter 14: Home Visit

Liam sat at his desk, skimming over reports, his gaze drifting occasionally to the city skyline beyond his office window. The glittering lights that once symbolized his success now seemed cold and distant, like stars far out of reach. Just as he was about to dive back into his work, a soft knock at his office door pulled him from his thoughts. He frowned, glancing at the time. It was late, long past regular hours. He hadn't expected anyone.

When he opened the door, he froze, the breath catching in his throat. "Mom?" he murmured, barely able to believe his eyes.

His mother stood there, but she was nothing like he remembered. Her face was worn, her eyes sunken, and there was a hardness in her expression he had never seen before. She looked up at him with an intensity that cut straight through him—an intensity he realized he hadn't even thought of in... how long?

His mind went blank as he tried to piece it together. He hadn't thought about her—about his family—since he'd started this new life. Not once. The memory was hazy, the details faded, and the shock of it made his stomach turn. How had he forgotten them so completely?

A faint flicker of something in his mother's eyes made him falter. She wasn't looking at him with warmth or love, but with a strange understanding, as though she could see the emptiness in his mind, the void where his family should have been. That look unsettled him deeply, sending a chill up his spine, and for a brief moment, he wondered if she knew everything—if somehow, she understood what he had done.

His mother didn't speak, but her gaze lingered on him, steady and unnervingly perceptive, as though she could see through every facade he'd built. The suspicion wormed its way into his mind, gnawing at him. Could she know about the shop? Did she know what he had traded away?

The thought unsettled him, and he shifted uncomfortably, masking his shock with a forced smile. "It's been a while," he said, though the words felt hollow.

Her face remained hard, her expression a mix of anger and pity, and she didn't return his smile. She seemed to have seen enough. Without a word, she stepped past him into his office, her gaze drifting coldly over the luxurious furniture and expensive decor, as if taking it all in with a grim satisfaction.

Liam could feel his unease deepening, a sense of dread settling over him. His mother knew more than she was letting on—he could see it in her eyes, the understanding that had cut through him so easily. And for the first time, he wondered if his family's absence from his memory had been more than just a simple oversight.

The look in her eyes said everything he didn't want to hear.

His mother's gaze lingered on him, cold and unyielding, carrying a weight he hadn't felt in years. She stood there, assessing him with a piercing intensity that seemed to see right through him.

"I know you don't remember us, Liam," she said quietly, her voice steady, each word cutting deeper than he expected.

The accusation made his skin prickle, but he brushed it off quickly, forcing a tight smile. "I've been busy," he replied, trying to sound casual, dismissive. "The business... you know how it is."

But her gaze held firm, sharp and unflinching. It was the kind of look that made him feel twelve again, caught in the lie of some petty childhood crime. He could feel her unspoken disappointment, the kind only a mother's eyes could convey, the kind that made every excuse and defense crumble away. Her silence felt heavier than any words.

Liam shifted under her gaze, trying to push down the guilt that rose in him like a reflex. He forced himself to straighten, to regain control. "Why are you here?" he snapped, his tone sharp, laced with irritation. "I don't need you showing up out of nowhere to... to judge me."