92 Aunt Celia Early Days I

[Flashback] The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the family estate as the day faded into twilight. Inside the sprawling mansion, a heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the soft murmur of voices and the occasional creak of floorboards. Celia's father stepped through the grand entrance, his shoulders slumped with weariness as he carried a bundle wrapped in blankets. His heart weighed heavy in his chest, the weight of grief and sorrow bearing down on him like an oppressive burden. Setting the bundle down gently, he beckoned to the nurse who followed silently behind him, her expression somber and sympathetic. With practiced hands, she took the baby from his arms, cradling her close as though she were made of spun glass. Celia's older siblings, teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, hovered nearby, their faces drawn with concern as they watched their father's every move. Their mother's absence hung like a specter in the room, a silent r