Francesca could never go to Yonderhaven.

She hung up the phone immediately.

Later, she stared at her phone for a long time, her mind reeling. So Julian’s talk of divorce hadn’t been real. His easy letting-go was nothing more than a tactical retreat, and his impassioned statements in court had all been a performance.

What a masterful actor he was.

*****

By early evening, Francesca found herself at the Hale family ...