Louisa was about to leave when Serena grabbed her in a tight embrace, her voice breaking through tears, "Mom, is that no matter what I say, you won't believe me? Lindsay was a close friend of mine a
long time ago, but then she went abroad, and we lost touch for years. It was only at tonight's birthday party that we ran into each other again."
Through her sobs, Serena explained, "The engagement between my brother-in-law and me was called off ages ago, but only our families knew about it. When Lindsay asked, I couldn't say the marriage was
still on, but I also couldn't tell her it was over. What was I supposed to say?"
With tears streaming down her face, Serena continued, "All I could do was subtly hint to her that it's my sister who is with Romeo now, and I dared not reveal anything else. But Lindsay misunderstood,
thinking my sister stole my love and secretly told Madeline."
