Mrs Riley's POV

The living room fell silent as Marcel returned with Serena. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she clutched a tissue in her hand. They sat together on the couch across from us, looking so young yet so grown-up at the same time.

Lorenzo opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He reached for his glass, took a long sip, and stared at the floor.

"Your father's having a hard time finding the words," I said, my voice gentler than it had been moments ago. "I'll tell you what you ...