“I can’t believe Victor would say such a thing to you! How!” Sarah’s voice broke the silence between them, raw with indignation. She turned to face Evelyn fully, her expression hard, disbelieving. “He wants to bring Rachael’s son into your home? That’s wrong—so wrong!” Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white against her pale skin.

Evelyn sighed, her gaze dropping to the ground where fallen leaves crunched underfoot. She drew her cardigan tighter around herself, as though it could shield her from the ugliness that had invaded her life. “He’s made up his mind, Sarah,” she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and exhaustion. “Victor said...