[ELARA'S POV]
Julian arrived on Monday carrying a single duffel bag and looking like death warmed over.
Literally. The cancer was winning. You could see it in the way he moved, careful and slow like everything hurt. The dark circles under his eyes. The way clothes hung on him like they were three sizes too big.
But he smiled when he saw Damian. That same sharp smile Damian had. The Voss smile.
"Brother." He said it soft. Testing the word.
"Brother." Damian repeated. Then pulled him into a hug.
I watched Julian's face. The way it crumpled for just a second. The way his eyes got wet before he blinked it away.
This man had spent his whole life wondering about his father. About the family he'd been denied. And now here he was. Finally part of it. With six months to live.
Life was cruel sometimes.
Marguerite appeared in the foyer. Stopped dead when she saw Julian.
"Mon dieu." She pressed a hand to her chest. "You look just like—"
