In the stillness of the night, a soft murmur sounded from the other end of the line, “Mimi, I’m in pain.” Miranda could detect a slight quiver in Hansel’s voice.

In that instant, she felt an instinctive pang of heartache.

Hansel was a stubborn man with a cutting tongue, and he’d always put on a brave front.

He often drank to the point where his stomach bled and worked overtime without taking time to eat or rest.

Back then, Miranda had used to rack her brain ...