Bancroft cleared his throat, an awkward flicker in his eyes before he finally looked at the photograph.


    He hadn''t paid it much attention before-just caught a glimpse and felt a rush of anger-but now that Lyman had erged the image, he saw something that made his heart skip.


    At first nce, it looked as if Effie was pressed tightly against Granger. But now Bancroft could see that Effie''s hand was lifted in front of her chest, creating a clear barrier between them.


    Even in a tense moment, her instincts had kicked in; she clearly didn''t want any physical contact with Granger. That told Bancroft all he needed to know about the real story behind the photo.


    He was certain everyone else understood, too—the person who snapped the picture had an agenda.


    Effie let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness the Etheridge family was reasonable. If this had been the Lloyds, there would have been a full-blown scene before she could get a word in edgewise.


    She paused, a little surprised at herself. Why was she evenparing the two families? The Lloyds weren''t even in the same league as the Etheridges.


    "Grandpa, now that everything''s cleared up, if there''s nothing else, I''ll take my wife home," Lyman said, turning to Bancroft.


    Bancroft, now thoroughly embarrassed, waved a hand to dismiss them, signaling that they could go.


    Just as they were about to leave, Lindy spoke up. "Wait a moment."


    Effie froze, worried Lindy might have something else to add.


    But Lindy''s voice was gentle, filled with concern. "Effie, why did you go to the hospital? Are you feeling unwell? Did you see a doctor? What did they say? If you''re not feeling well, you have to tell us, okay? Don''t keep it bottled up." Effie looked up and saw the genuine worry on Lindy''s face. Her heart softened. She''d overthought it-Lindy was just worried about her.


    "It wasn''t for me," Effie replied quickly. "I''m fine. My grandmother slipped and broke a bone, so she had to be admitted for a few days."


    "Why didn''t you tell us Mrs. Spencer was hurt?" Lindy said, ncing at the clock. "We should go visit her right now. Well-actually, it''s gettingte. Elderly people need their rest. We''ll go see her tomorrow instead."


    "That''s really not necessary," Effie said gently. "It''s not too serious; she''ll be discharged in a few days."


    Effie knew her grandmother valued privacy and wouldn''t want a crowd showing up at her hospital room.


    Lindy smiled and insisted, "You and Lyman are married now; we''re family. There''s no need for formalities. We care about Mrs. Spencer just as you care about us."


    With Lindy putting it that way, Effie couldn''t refuse. "Alright, thank you."


    Hand in hand, Effie and Lyman stepped out into the hallway. As soon as they opened the door, several figures darted past them in a blur.


    They moved too quickly for Effie or Lyman to catch their faces, but it wasn''t hard to guess who they were.


    Lyman squeezed Effie''s hand. "Feeling worn out?"


    Their family looked harmonious on the surface, but beneath it all, things were messy-especially in recent years. As Lyman had taken over the entirepany, his two uncles had started getting restless.


    Effie met his eyes with a warm smile. "Not at all. As long as I''m with you, I''m happy."


    She meant every word, even though their marriage had been sudden and they hadn''t been together long.