A stretch of spring rain lingered on and off until the tail end of April.

By early May, Northborough was basking in the first warmth of summer. The dampness had lifted; now, the breeze carried the scent of wisteria.

On the day Lori turned one month old, Briony and Maynard took her for a check- up at the hospital.

Carol had come down with a nasty cold, so Briony had given her a few days off.

Maynard knew Briony was taking Lori for her check-up, so he'd shown up early outside Pearbrook Manor. He claimed he just happened to be free; Briony, in a rush to leave, didn't object.

The doctor assured them that Lori was thriving, every milestone right on track.

Briony finally felt at ease.

With the exam done, she cradled Lori in her arms as she and Maynard walked toward the hospital entrance.

She hadn't expected to bump into Stewart right at the doors.

The encounter was sudden and unavoidable; both sides stopped in their tracks.

Their eyes met, and silence fell between them.

been a while since they'd last seen

was a boy, seven or eight years old,

who he was-Xenia

Stewart broke the silence first. Briony

greedy. She looked much better than before-her complexion was rosy,

party for Vernon not long ago, inviting all of Northborough's elite in a very public display. Stewart had attended as Vernon's biological

Cooper, and Vernon-a picture-perfect family-was

flicked to Vernon, and he couldn't resist twisting the knife. "Mr. Wentworth, is your son not feeling

knit together; he shot Maynard a

for asking, sir," Vernon piped up. "It's just a little cold. My dad brought

bright smile, "your dad

said nothing, his lips pressed into a thin, hard

had already looked away. "Let's head

"Of course. Let's go."

they walked

on the shoulder. "You're

their son is this well-behaved at such

tightened, his mouth a thin,

after they'd gone did he

the car at the

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