The words hung in the sterile air of the VIP suite, cold and heavy like a winter mist over the Northern Front. Serena Ashford felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she forced a small, brittle smile for her daughter.
"Yes... that’s right, sweetheart," Serena whispered, her voice a fragile thread that threatened to snap at any moment. She didn't look at Derek Faulkner. She couldn't. If she looked at him, she feared the facade of the 'Hero Father' she had carefully constructed for seven years would shatter into a thousand jagged pieces. "This is... an old friend of mine. He heard you were feeling poorly and traveled a very long way just to see you."
It was a mercy. In Serena’s mind, this was the ultimate act of maternal grace. She wasn't ready to let the truth poison the one thing that ke
