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She nods slowly. "I’m Serene’s mother."
At that, Serene stops eating. She looks up at the woman and frowns. "You’re not my Mama." Serene clutches at my arm. "Thisis my Mama."
The woman’s features crumple, then she seems to get a hold of herself. "No, sweetheart, I’m your mother. Your father probably hasn’t told you, but I dropped you off with him when you were only a year old. But Iamyour mother.”
She grabs Serene’s arm, who tries to shake it off, but the woman doesn’t let go.
"Stop that, you’re scaring her," Tyler says in a low voice.
Summer, Sinclair and Matty are watching the woman in stunned silence.
As for me? I’m unable to get my brain to function. She’s Serene’s mother. Herbiologicalmother?This is the woman who Tyler slept with?I shove that thought out of my head.
Then, Serene makes a sound of distress, which snaps me out of my fugue state.
"You should realize how confusing all of this is for Serene.” Tyler glares at her. “She has no concept of you, since you dropped her off when she was so young. And by coming so suddenly into her life, you’re going to cause her a lot of distress. Surely, you don’t want to do that, do you?"
The woman looks at Serene, and something in her posture loosens, gentles. They lock eyes—blue meeting brown.
I always assumed Serene’s eyes came from her birth mother, but clearly, that’s not the case. The woman’s hair is a light, golden blonde, nothing like Serene’s deeper, darker strands—so much more like her father’s.
And yet, despite the differences, despite the fact that Serene shows no recognition of her, my chest hurts.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t have the courage to bring you up alone.” Lauren bows her head. “I was convinced you’d do better with your father. But you should know, I regret dropping you off that day. I’ve spent so many sleepless nights thinking about my decision."
Serene goes still, her whole body tight with unease. Tears well, then spill silently down her cheeks.
“Papa.” Her chin trembles. “I want my papa.”
Tyler snaps to attention, his whole body coiled tight like a wire pulled to its breaking point. His fingers clamp down on the edge of the table until his knuckles bleach bone white.
“You don’t belong here,” he says, voice low but razor-sharp. “And you sure as hell shouldn’t be unloading all of that onto Serene—not here, not like this. You’re upsetting her.”
He stands, slowly, deliberately—like he’s approaching a wild animal that might bolt or bite if provoked.
Across from me, Summer’s face drains of color. We lock eyes, and I see the same thing reflected in hers: dread, and the sharp, rising awareness that something fragile is slipping out of our control.
Sinclair’s jaw is hard. His forearms flex, and when I glance down, I realize his fingers are flying over his phone.Is he calling security?His gaze, though, is focused on the woman.
"I am going to calm down my daughter." Tyler rounds my chair, reaches Serene, and places his hand on her shoulder. "Don’t worry, Poppet. Everything is going to be okay."
"I… I didn’t mean to upset you." The woman swallows. "I promise, Serene. I'm here because I knew I had to put things right by you."
"It’s a little late for that. You can’t just undo your actions," Tyler growls.
The woman looks genuinely distressed. "You don’t know what it is to be pregnant on your own. I didn’t have any emotional support."
"You could have come to me," he says through gritted teeth.
She shakes her head. "The circumstances of her birth were complicated. More than you can imagine."
I frown.What does she mean by that?
"And her birth was not easy." She swallows. "Then I had post-partum depression. I couldn’t deal with it. That’s when I dropped her off. I regretted it right away. But it was too late. It’s not like I could walk back to you, say it was a mistake, and ask for her back."
"You had the opportunity to come to me and explain your actions."
She jerks her chin in his direction. "And be judged by you? No, thank you. I… It’s why I decided to leave the country. I thought, putting distance between Serene and me would help."