Samuel kissed her forehead, pinched her cheek playfully, and gave her a gentle smile before leaving.

Eliana couldn't fall back asleep, so she got up to make breakfast. But she was a step behind—when she went downstairs, Alexander was already cooking.

Seeing her, Alexander called out, "Morning, sis."

"Morning."

Eliana walked over and asked, "Did you talk to Mark yesterday? What's going on between him and Ivy?"

She had asked ...