When Serena's cousin Dawn suddenly passes away, she steels herself to take in Dawn's daughter, Louisa. Dawn's husband, Carlo, is wealthy but coldhearted; the two were about to get a divorce. When Serena declares that she'll never relinquish Louisa to Carlo, he threatens her: "This is a crime!" Yes, Carlo was her cousin's husband, but Serena can't stop her pulse from racing whenever she sees him. However, she must shut down those feelings as she knows just how terribly he treated Dawn!