The news dropped on Deirdre like a bombshell. She couldn’t stop shaking until a calm voice appeared in her head.

‘Calm down, Deirdre.’

Declan had told her before that Brendan was seriously ill. He couldn’t get out of bed, so there was a chance that it was not him.

She covered her face with her hand, and only then did she realize she had been crying.

“Miss McKinnon?” The attendant called out to her, her voice shaking. “The receptionist is here.”

Deirdre took a deep breath and asked, “Do you