The moment Ann realized what was happening, her heart started pounding wildly.

She continued, "Daniel, I heard you're working in Northgard now."

"That's right."

Ann's smile grew even sweeter. "I visited Northgard two years ago. It's such a wonderful place."

"Mm."

"Did you go to college there too, Daniel?"

"Mm."

So noisy.

Ann was just unbearably noisy.

Daniel wished he could plug his ears.

The truth was, Daniel had no desire to talk with Ann at all. No matter what she

said, he merely grunted in response.

But Ann either didn't notice or chose to ignore it.

For the first time, Daniel realized just how oblivious a person could be.

"Daniel..."

Just as Ann was about to say something else, Daniel stood up abruptly. "Excuse

me, Miss Templeton, I need to use the restroom."

Why did Daniel suddenly need to go to the bathroom?

Ann watched his retreating figure, confused.

They'd been having such a pleasant conversation, hadn't they?

Unless—unless Daniel was getting flustered by their interaction and needed to cool off in the bathroom?

The more Ann thought about it, the more she convinced herself that must be the

reason.

She'd read about Daniel before. Though he was already twenty-three, he was famously still a virgin-he'd never had a girlfriend. She must be the first woman to have gotten this close to him.

The thought brought a shy blush to her cheeks. "Okay, Daniel, don't let me keep you," she called after him, her tone demure.

Daniel headed for the bathroom.

The dining table was large, crowded with members of the Richards family, and everyone's attention was focused on Caitlin. It was easy for Daniel to slip away unnoticed.

To Caitlin's left sat Hannah, and to her right, Warren. Both kept piling food onto Caitlin's plate with the serving spoons, until her plate resembled a miniature mountain.

"Catie, eat up, eat up! Have some more meat-you need to put on some weight," Hannah encouraged.

"Catie, just make yourself at home," Warren added warmly.

"Yes, Catie, don't be shy. Eat as much as you like!" chimed in another relative. Caitlin couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so welcome at a family table.

Later that afternoon, Caitlin mentioned she needed to head back. As much as she enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the Richards family, Celeste was still waiting for her at the hotel-she couldn't just leave her alone there.

Hannah looked genuinely reluctant to see her go, standing at the doorway and watching Caitlin walk away until she disappeared from view.

It was as if, with Caitlin leaving, she might never return.

Hedwig tried to reassure her, "Mom, don't worry. Once the DNA test results are in, we'll bring Freya home for good. Then you'll see her every day."

Hannah finally managed a smile.

Kelley agreed, "Hedwig's right, Mom. When the results come back, you can spend as much time with Freya as you want."

One by one, the daughters-in-law gently supported Hannah back inside.

Suddenly, Adelina seemed to remember something. "By the way, Mom, should we tell Keira about the DNA test we're doing with Catie?"

It was, after all, a big deal.

Hannah hesitated, then shook her head. "Let's hold off for now. Keira's health isn't great, and Freya is her entire world. I'm afraid she couldn't handle the stress. We'll tell her once we have the results-it won't hurt to wait."

Though Hannah was convinced Caitlin was their missing Freya, the test results weren't in yet.

What if-just what if she wasn't? She couldn't bear the thought of getting Keira's hopes up for nothing.

Adelina nodded. "You're right, Mom."

They entered the living room.

Ann was still sitting on the sofa.

Hannah could feel a headache coming on. The ones she wanted to stay had left, but the one she wished would leave was still here.

"Grandma Hannah!" Ann jumped to her feet as soon as Hannah entered. "You're back!"

Hannah nodded, pressing her fingers to her temple, and turned to Jade. "Jade, would you please look after Ann? I've got a headache and need to lie down for a bit."