I was too dumbstruck to say anything, and Elizabeth looked like she didn’t have anything more to say to me. But she didn’t turn to leave. If she had anything else to say to me, I didn’t get to hear it, because the door to the bedroom opened again.

I couldn’t be more thankful to Silver. But after a moment, I saw that it wasn’t her that had come through the door.

“Mother,” Jacob greeted.

And there was a stark difference between how he ...