Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Stella blinked in surprise, as if she could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Bryn, it's strange," she said quietly. "Back when you were hopelessly in love with Stewart, I don't think you ever truly understood him. But now that you don't love him anymore, it's almost as if... you see him more clearly than ever."

Briony paused, caught off guard by the observation.

The living room was silent except for the low, bubbling sound of the kettle boiling in the kitchen.

No one picked up the thread of conversation again.

...

Upstairs at Southcreek Manor, in the master bedroom.

After the IV drip, Stewart's condition finally stabilized, though he remained unconscious.

Dr. Cedric Clarke packed away his medical kit and stepped out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

Waiting in the hallway were Lorna, Carl, and Carol-all three watching Cedric with anxious expressions.

and sighed. "For now, he's stable," he said, "but his illness is progressing much faster than any of us

reddened. "Dr. Clarke, Mr. Wentworth is still so young. Please, there must

heavy. "You all need to prepare yourselves. I'm afraid... he may not make it through the summer." The words weighed on him-he hated to admit it, but there was

July. The kids' summer break was

the end of August, you could

the first hints of autumn in the

meant Stewart likely had less than two months

everyone

it was obvious to her how

Mario and Nina soon losing their

just kids-barely reunited with their dad, hardly enough

out, "Little Mario said just the other day that when winter comes, he wants to build snowmen and have snowball

words landed like a punch in

her, her tone grave. "Carol, you mustn't let Mario know

going to

not even the kids." She couldn't bring herself to say more; Stewart's sudden decline meant their time was running out faster than anyone

promised, not fully understanding the stakes. She assumed Stewart just didn't want Briony and

turned to Cedric. "When