Everyone told Noah that his mother had died in the fire.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the grand hallway outside the study. Heavy, deliberate strides—his father’s wingtips clicking against the polished Italian marble.

Noah grabbed the ledger, the brass key, and the stack of post-dated letters, jamming them into the hidden interior pocket of his coat. He pushed Lily behind the long velvet curtains near the floor-to-ceiling windows just as the study door clicked open.

Richard Sterling stepped into the room. He was a tall, imposing man in his late fortnight fifties, his hair silvered at the temples, wearing a bespoke charcoal suit. Behind him stood Dr. Arthur Thorne, the family physician whose quiet, soothing demeanor had overseen Noah and Lily’s "grief counseling" for the past six months.

"Noah," Richard said, his tone devoid of affection, measured and cold. "Vanessa tells me you’ve had another episode. That you threatened her."

Noah stepped out from behind the desk, forcing his hands to stay still at his sides. "She was going to hit Lily with a bottle."

Dr. Thorne sighed softly, removing his wire-rimmed glasses to wipe them with a silk handkerchief. "Noah, son, visual and auditory hallucinations often manifest alongside extreme trauma. You believe you see threats where there are none. Your sister’s night terrors are catching on to you."

"She pointed at the wall, Dad," Noah said, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. "She told me Mom was alive."

Richard didn't flinch. Not a single muscle in his jaw twitched. He simply reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver cigarette case, snapping it open. "Your mother died in the east wing fire, Noah. The dental records confirmed it. The medical examiner signed the report. You were there when we lowered the casket."

"Then why do you have her letters?" Noah demanded, taking a step forward. "Why are there postmarks from three weeks ago in Vanessa’s desk?"

Richard paused, the flame of his lighter hovering an inch from his cigarette. For a fraction of a second, a shadow of cold, calculating dark flickered across his eyes. He snapped the lighter shut without lighting the tobacco.

"Arthur," Richard said softly. "Prepare the transport. It seems Noah’s condition has deteriorated beyond what we can manage at home. The clinic in Vermont will be better equipped."

"No!" Lily screamed, bursting out from behind the velvet curtains. She ran to Noah, throwing her arms around his waist. "You can't take him! You're the bad man! Mommy is in the wall!"

Dr. Thorne reached into his leather medical bag, pulling out a pre-filled syringe. "It’s just a mild sedative, Lily. It will help your brother sleep."

"Run!" Noah yelled.

He grabbed the heavy brass desk lamp, tearing its cord from the wall outlet, and hurled it with all his strength at Dr. Thorne. The lamp caught the doctor across the chest, sending him stumbling back into Richard.

Noah didn't wait to see the impact. He grabbed Lily’s hand, kicked open the glass French doors leading out to the terrace, and dragged her out into the pouring autumn rain.

They sprinted across the slick stone patio, the darkness of the estate's massive grounds swallowing them whole. Behind them, alarms began to blare—a high-pitched electronic shriek echoing from the manor's roof.

They plunged into the thick pine woods that bordered the property. Rain soaked through Noah’s clothes within seconds, but he kept running, pulling Lily through the mud until her little legs gave out and she collapsed against the root of an ancient oak tree.

"Noah... I can't... I can't run anymore," she sobbed, holding her side.

Noah dropped to his knees, pulling her into an embrace to keep her warm. Through the thick canopy, he could see flashlight beams sweeping across the perimeter fencing behind them.

He pulled out the brass key stamped 402 and held it up in the moonlight.

"We aren't running away, Lily," Noah whispered, his eyes gleaming through the dark. "Key 402 isn't for a room in this house. It’s for the old carriage house down by the lake—the one Dad locked up after Mom went missing."