I looked toward the departing Grace and felt a sense of oppression. We were once a close-knit family who shared everything, but it had come to this. I realized how unpredictable life could be.

I recalled Grace angrily defending Melanie at the baby’s full moon party. Looking at Grace now, I understood her life must be far from ideal, given how worn and aged she looked. After getting in the car, I drove to the office feeling gloomy.

I dealt with some urgent matters and told Ryan I needed to go to Solaris. After some thought, he said, “Can you postpone it for a day? We can go together tomorrow.”

“You want to come?”

Ryan smiled at me, saying, “I mentioned wanting to visit a few friends there last time. I can’t leave yet since we have clients from Canta coming to discuss business.”

I thought about it and realized postponing the trip wouldn’t make much difference. After all, I felt unsettled after what happened in the morning. I considered Ava, knowing she wouldn’t be happy today, eithe