Chapter 40

Last time Matthew talked about his birth mom at the hospital, he looked crushed, like the memories hit him hard. Same thing this time. The way he joked just now—it wasn’t because he was fine. He just didn’t want Serena to worry, trying to ease the tension for her. Serena's chest tightened a little. She didn't know what to say to comfort him at that moment. After a beat, she gently offered, “Tomorrow’s Sunday... maybe we could go visit her together?” I mean, she was now married into the Quinn family. Some respect was the least she could show. Matthew looked visibly lighter the moment those words left her lips. “Okay,” he said softly. He hadn’t expected her to bring it up on her own. It struck something in him. After years of seeing how cold the world could be, he was kind of blown away by her kindness. With him there, Serena slept better that night than she had in a while. She had her guard up at first, worried he might pull some shady move, but after they chatted awhile, an odd sense o