Outside Penelope's villa, a black Maybach was parked not far from the villa's corner.

Barrett returned to the car, sitting in the back seat, and took out a cigarette, intending to light it, but then he remembered something and put the cigarette back. He remembered that Zoe disliked the smell of smoke, and she used to detest his heavy drinking as well.

In the past, when she minded, he never really cared about her feelings. Often, when he drank too much, he would sit slumped on the living room sofa. Zoe would bring him a bottle of water, and he would still mutter Jacey's name incoherently.

During the years Jacey...