And yet he knew, despite their separation, that his mother had always loved her husband. She would never let Damon speak badly of him. She never said a bad thing herself.

She just looked sad, and lonely. And she’d been alone—except for her son—when she’d died of a heart attack six years ago.

The death of his mother was the most painful loss Damon had ever experienced. He’d been grief-stricken, missing her terribly, devastated by her loss, even though intellectually he should have been prepared.

For over a year he’d known she had a bad heart. She hadn’t wanted to tell him, but eventually, she couldn’t hide it anymore. She...