"What is this place?" asked Brndan.

Deirdre explained, "This is Madame Russell's place. She is my mother... Ophelia's good friend. I stayed at her house temporarily when I left you. She took care of me."

"Madame Russell?" Brendan found the name familiar but couldn't recall her. He wondered, "Is that Tobey's mother?"

His voice deepened as he asked, "Tell me she didn't take care of you because she saw you as her daughter-in-law."

Ignoring his question, Deirdre coughed and proceeded toward the house. Despite his partial memory loss, Brendan was still perceptive and connected the dots easily.

Her actions displeased Brendan, and he grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the wall. He asked, "Feeling guilty?"

Lowering her head, Deirdre appeared overwhelmed with emotions. She replied, "Why should I feel guilty? It's as if you're accusing me of cheating. We were separated at the time, so I didn't disclose our relationship to Madame Russell. She treated me like a daughter. What's wrong wi