After Grandma Nora's death, after the man she loved betrayed her, after the car accident left her lying on the operating table, she had genuinely wanted to die.
It was her father who had kept her alive. He'd flown in equipment from overseas, tracked down the best surgeons from every corner of the country, and fought with everything he had to pull her back.
She owed it to him to live well from now on.
Calvin wiped his eyes, then said suddenly, "That young man from the Fairmont family came looking for me just now."
"He seemed like he knew you pretty well. Kept asking if he could see you. Do you two know each other?"
Hilda's chest seized. The color drained from her face.
Calvin caught the shift in her expression and sensed something was off. He was about to go back downstairs and turn the young man away himself when Hilda stood up.
"We've met in passing, that's all. I'll go see what he wants."
The gala had ended and the last of the guests had gone. Only Jasper remained, waiting alone.
He sat hunched forward, shoulders slumped, and the instant his ears caught the sound of footsteps behind him, he shot to his feet and lunged toward them.
"Hilda!"