Ste blinked in surprise, as if she could hardly believe what she was hearing.


    "Bryn, it''s strange," she said quietly. "Back when you were hopelessly in love with Stewart, I don''t think you ever truly understood him. But now that you don''t love him anymore, it''s almost as if... you see him more clearly than ever."


    Briony paused, caught off guard by the observation.


    The living room was silent except for the low, bubbling sound of the kettle boiling in the kitchen.


    No one picked up the thread of conversation again.


    ...


    Upstairs at Southcreek Manor, in the master bedroom.


    After the IV drip, Stewart''s condition finally stabilized, though he remained unconscious.


    Dr. Cedric rke packed away his medical kit and stepped out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him.


    Waiting in the hallway were Lorna, Carl, and Carol-all three watching Cedric with anxious expressions.


    Cedric pressed his lips together and sighed. "For now, he''s stable," he said, "but his illness is progressing much faster than any of us expected."


    Carl''s eyes reddened. "Dr. rke, Mr. Wentworth is still so young. Please, there must be something more you can try."


    Cedric shook his head, his voice heavy. "You all need to prepare yourselves. I''m afraid... he may not make it through the summer." The words weighed on him-he hated to admit it, but there was nothing more he could do.


    It waste July. The kids'' summer break was already halfway over.


    Summers in Northborough were brief; by the end of August, you could already


    feel the first hints of autumn in the air.


    Which meant Stewart likely had less than two months left.


    The realization left everyone in stunned silence.


    Carol hadn''t worked for Stewart long, but it was obvious to her how much he loved his two children.


    At the thought of little Mario and Nina soon losing their father, Carol felt tears prick her eyes.


    They were just kids-barely reunited with their dad, hardly enough time to build memories together. How could this be happening?


    Wiping her tears, Carol choked out, "Little Mario said just the other day that when winteres, he wants to build snowmen and have snowball fights with his dad in the yard..."


    The wordsnded like a punch in the gut.


    Lorna turned to her, her tone grave. "Carol, you mustn''t let Mario know how sick Stewart is."


    "But... he''s going to find out eventually..."


    "We''ll keep it from him as long as we can," Lorna insisted. "Nobody can know the full extent of Stewart''s illness yet not even the kids." She couldn''t bring herself to say more; Stewart''s sudden decline meant their time was running out faster than anyone had expected.


    "Don''t worry, Ms. Riley. I''ll do whatever you say," Carol promised, not fully understanding the stakes. She assumed Stewart just didn''t want Briony and the children to worry.


    Lorna turned to Cedric. "When will Stewart wake up?"


    Cedric hesitated. "Hard to say. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a day or two. But whenever he wakes, he''ll need to stay in bed and rest for at least a week."


    "In a week, Mario''s going to notice something''s wrong," Lorna said quietly.


    Cedric thought for a moment, then suggested, "Let''s have Mario stay at Skybreeze Retreat for a few days. We''ll put summer camp on hold for now. If Briony asks, just say Mario''s been missing his mom."


    It was the only workable n they had.


    Lorna looked at Carol. "You''ll go with Mario to stay at the retreat for a few days.


    But you have to be careful-don''t let anything slip."


    Carol nodded, fighting back tears. “I understand."


    "Go pack your things," Lorna instructed. "I''ll have the driver take you to pick up Mario from preschool. While you''re at the retreat, if Briony wants to take the kids out, make sure Crystal goes with them."


    Carol frowned, puzzled. "Why does Crystal need to go?"


    Lorna didn''t exin. "Just do as I say."


    Carol nodded again and hurried off to get ready.