A faint, bitter smile crossed Sophia’s lips. Her mother’s mistakes had left wounds on the Hayes family, even costing Michael’s father his life. That truth stayed inside her like a thorn she could never pull out.

"Michael," she asked softly, almost unsure, "doesn’t the past bother you? Everything between my mother and your father…"

Michael held her shoulders, his eyes fixed on hers.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly. "I wasn’t there to see it, so I don’t know what really ...