Richard seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders as he continued. "I really did love you..." he said, his voice cracking and shaking. "For years I thought you were my own daughter. But when Seraphina got sick, she revealed her secret to me. She wanted me to protect you, to take your secret to the grave." His gaze met Serena's, and she saw the deep regret and shame in his eyes.

"After I found out that you were not my biological daughter, that your mother had fathered you with another man, I felt betrayed. I could not bear it, and although I swore to her that...