The courtroom fell silent as Uncle Cyrus took his seat at the witness stand. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him look so... alive. His eyes were bright, his posture straighter than I'd ever seen it. This wasn't a man preparing to defend his brother's memory—this was someone who had waited years for this moment.
"Mr. Beaumont," Master Wilkerson began, "you claim to have information regarding your brother's activities. Please proceed."
Cyrus's gaze swept across the room, lingering briefly on Lady Honoria—his mother—before he spoke. "My brother was not merely a criminal. He was a monster, encouraged and enabled by our mother."
Lady Honoria surged to her feet. "How dare you! After everything I've sacrificed for this family!"
"Sacrificed?" Cyrus laughed, the sound hollow and bitter. "You sacrificed nothing, Mother. You sacrificed me."
