Jared didn’t follow me into the house straight away. I was okay with it. I needed a minute to just sit in the feelings I was experiencing and take a moment to mull them over.

Dinner was being served in the dining room like usual, and the house was blanketed in lively chatter over the sounds of silverware clanging against porcelain plates. I sat down, fixing myself a plate as I scanned the table.

“Where’s Scarlett?” I asked Giselle, who was sitting across ...