Francesca was icy; Julian was relentless. For months, his pursuit had been unwavering.

In the middle of the month, the elder matriarch of the Carter family fell ill. Morgan and his wife had returned to Yonderhaven to care for her, staying for more than two weeks.

On this particular day, Francesca had an appointment for a prenatal checkup. Ronald, summoned home unexpectedly by Mr. Naughton, wasn’t able to accompany her. So Francesca went to the hospital ...