Erna pursed her lips, her gaze drifting away from his. There had always been lingering doubts—whispers about Jedrick's uncanny resemblance to Uncle Gerald—but she had never dared to voice them. Not to Jonathan. Not to anyone.
Jonathan's chest tightened as he caught the hesitation in her eyes.
"Oh, so you do believe it," he murmured, a tinge of sadness lacing his voice.
Erna exhaled, her fingers curling slightly at her sides. "It's not just me, Jonathan. Even the people around us have mentioned it at times. No one could ever find a difference when they saw Uncle Gerald and Jedrick together. And we… we simply took it as a compliment, just so Jedrick wouldn't feel out of place."
Jonathan's breath hitched. Now that Erna had brought it up, he couldn't ignore the gnawing thought in his own mind. He had never questioned it before—never given much thought to how Jedrick and their father looked nearly identical, while he, on the other hand, bore an undeniable resemblance to their mother.
