Serena stared at herself in the mirror. It has been 2 weeks since Charlton walked out of the door of the drawing room, and time did not stop moving. Not for her, not for anyone else.
It was a good thing her parents arrived when they did, at least then, she had to act with some normalcy. Her mother did not return to their duchy and chose to stay with her in the ducal mansion. She could not tell her what was wrong, but her company was enough.
Since her mother was there, she was forced out of hiding cooped up in their mansion. They attended some parties and galas, and it was there that she learned what happened to Charlton's family.
For a few days, she tried to tell herself that Charlton did not choose to leave her. That perhaps, he has not given up on them. That it's the circumstance that forced him.
