"Mother. Father," I said when I walked into the formal sitting room. Mom was reading a book while Dad was flipping through channels on the TV.

"Gregory." Mom greeted me with a warm smile. She closed her book, stood, and embraced me in a hug. "Where's your lovely bride-to-be?"

The fake concern dripping from her tone grated on my nerves, but I bit back all the nasty things I wanted to say. "She's not feeling well. The events of the past few days have taken quite the ...