Serena gritted her teeth, struggling to hold herself together. The air around her felt thin, and her breath came in shallow gasps.

Well, this is just perfect.

Ava’s words didn’t just defend her sister; they seemed to voice everything Owen had been thinking. If the timing were different, Serena might have burst out laughing.

Sixteen years. She had spent a full sixteen years living with the Lancaster family, nearly always by Owen's side. Yet he still ...