His mother Aurelia

Understanding that the conversation was over, Jasper gave a curt nod and turned to leave. As he reached for the door handle, he paused, glancing back at Theodore. For a moment, it seemed as though one of them might say something more, but the moment passed, and Jasper stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him.

As he made his way down the hallway, Jasper maintained his stern expression, his mind already racing with thoughts of what awaited him at the precinct. He had trained for this and prepared himself for the challenges that lay ahead.

His contemplation was interrupted as he entered the grand hall of the Blatherwick mansion.

Seated at a large, ornate table was a woman in her forties, dressed in a flowing floral gown. Her braided hair was elegantly arranged, and despite her age, she possessed a timeless beauty that turned heads.

"Mother," Jasper called out, his voice softening slightly as he addressed her.

The woman turned at the sound of his voice, her face lighting up with a warm smile. She rose from her seat and walked towards him, her movements graceful and purposeful. As she reached Jasper, she placed her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him with eyes full of affection.

The Blatherwick couple didn't have any children; they thought of Jasper as their own, giving him as much love and care as possible.

"How are you, my child?" she asked, her tone soft and longing.

Jasper's expression softened slightly, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. But even as he smiled, the woman – his adoptive mother – could see that it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was a distance there, a wall built from years of separation and the weight of expectations.

Aurelia's arms wrapped around Jasper, her embrace warm and maternal. For a moment, Jasper stood rigid, unused to such displays of affection. Then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, he relaxed slightly into her hug.

"You better stay with us from now on," Aurelia said softly, her voice tinged with both hope and resignation. "If not, mother will be furious."

As she held him, Aurelia's mind wandered back over the years since they had adopted Jasper.

She remembered the quiet, serious child who had arrived at their home, his young eyes already holding shadows no child should know. She had lost her womb years ago; the dream of having children of her own was cruelly snatched away.

When Theodore suggested adopting Jasper, she had seen it as a second chance, an opportunity to give love to a child who desperately needed it.

But from the beginning, Jasper had been different. Where Aurelia offered love, Jasper responded with politeness. Where she sought connection, he maintained distance. The events of his childhood had left deep scars, rendering him seemingly incapable of reciprocating the affection she so desperately wanted to give.

Jasper, for his part, stood in Aurelia's embrace, a whirlwind of suppressed emotions churning within him. He recognized the love she offered and understood, on an intellectual level, what it meant. But the ability to feel it and to return it seemed forever out of reach. The traumas of his early years had built walls around his heart, walls that even a decade had failed to breach.