Deirdre looked up. “But why would he hide it from him? Do you really think Brendan’s scared of a guy like that?”

“Well…” Mrs. Engel faltered.

Deirdre flashed a smile. “I’m going back to bed.”

She turned on her heels and made her way back inside. The reveal did not make her feel anything in particular—instead, it just reminded her how talented Brendan was at acting. She almost bought it and believed that maybe, deep down inside, he did care about her or love her.

Deirdre had only just stepped