Almost everyone who had attended the unscheduled meeting about Meret’s kidnapping and everything that followed had already left — including Xavier and Lisa.

Xavier had volunteered to take Lisa home, but when they stepped out of the palace, Lisa found her father waiting by the car, looking both relieved and furious. Once his eyes landed on his daughter, he turned and entered the car without saying a word. The silence spoke louder than anything he could’ve said.

Lisa didn’t need to be ...