"Sophia…" Susan took small sips of her hot water, her expression innocent as she explained, "I'm sorry, but Heart of Hope Hospital has only three VIP rooms. My mom occupies one year-round, and since I just had a miscarriage, Richard isn't comfortable with me being in a regular room. He insists I stay here. As for the other room, a friend asked me to reserve it for her today because she's moving in tomorrow…"

"Please don't be upset. If you had mentioned this sooner, we would have ...