d a conversation from years ago with his mother, when she casually

im. "You'd be so much better o

e her. They could recall every tiny quirk Kaia had, yet when it came to something as importan

.

a. It was strange to think this place was meant to be he

nged with concern, and offered a reassuring smile. "If there'

er tone even.

t have to be so polit

ay instead of leaving, Verena as

it appeared. Still, they were newcomers, and many in those circles saw them as outsiders. The Benne

, Laura wasn't about to refuse. She could already pictur

Laura couldn't imagine giving her precious younger daughter

the sting of guilt. She hadn't been there to raise her, and there was no re

had struggled in school and now worked as a doctor in a quiet town like Trisas, could only benefit fr

. There's someone I want you to meet later

e. The thought made her want to laugh and shake her head all at once. Expecting anything different from these parents

with Laura. She had come to Shoildon with only one purpose in mind-Isaac.

she saw no resistance. "Good. Get

if anyone asks about your schooling, tell them you graduated from Acorith College of Medici

d out on the bed. Raising her right hand, s

table. The scalpel had slipped, and her right hand hadn't stopped sha

until sleep crept in, pulling

er phone lighting up with group chat messages. E

of beauty that caught and held the eye. Her complexion was smooth, unblemished, almost too refined for someone who had spen

so Kaia finally typed back.

latant lie, yet the words h

spers about the upcoming marriage between

rious about the woman Isaac-once a man

Not ugly... It was the kind of phrase that hinted th

as Bobby Bennett, Isa

s before he turned toward

but does that mean you have to set him up with someone who ca

ull ache. Like any mother, she wan

nently damaged. As the matriarch of the Bennetts, she couldn't let whispers about the family spiral out of contr

e no say in it," she said, maskin

w tightene

started up the staircase, unin

d, asking her to set up a meeting be

, she crossed to the window without

d across the floor, d

his eyes shadowed but unblinking,

plainly. "You'll be meeting a gir

eeting? Just register the marriage and be do

new that the accident had taken not just Isaac's health, but also her husband's life. With her son in t

his. It's only polit

d Isaac again. Pain and self-disgust clouded his eyes. In hi

was woken by a few knocks on the d

ndescension, Kaia said, "Verena, you're about to marry into the Be

ened Verena's instincts, and Kaia'

ough to know Ka

her quilt, patiently waiting to hea