"Elaine, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?" Alice's voice pulled me back to the present.

I looked at her, trying to mask my unease. But as I gazed at her innocent face, I remembered that she had lost her father while still in her mother's arms. She might not know certain things—things that could connect our families in ways I hadn't imagined.

"Elaine, are you feeling unwell?" Alice asked, her concern evident in her tone.

I forced ...