Chapter 5 - An Uninvited Return
Claire knelt down to gather the scattered files, her hands shaking so violently that the papers slipped through her fingers. Daniel immediately dropped to his knees beside her, gathering the folders, their fingers brushing against one another on the cold planks.
The contact sent a jolt through both of them. Claire pulled her hand back as if burned.
""Don't,"" she pleaded softly, looking at him with tears welling in her eyes. ""Please don't do this. I spent five years learning how to sleep through the night without thinking about your family.""
""I didn't find the letter until yesterday, Claire,"" Daniel said, holding her gaze with fierce, unyielding sincerity. ""I never saw it. I never knew.""
Claire went utterly still, her breath suspending in the cold air. ""What do you mean?""
""The black suit,"" Daniel explained, his voice thick with emotion. ""I took it off the night of the funeral and shoved it into a garment bag. I didn't touch it. I didn't open it. I brought it to Mr. Bellamy yesterday for an alteration, and the envelope fell out on his table.""
Claire stared at him, the shock rendering her completely speechless. ""You... you never read it?""
""Never,"" Daniel vowed, placing his hand over his heart. ""If I had read it, Claire, I would have burned every bridge in Newport to meet you at that station. I would have run through the rain. I would have abandoned the company, the house, the entire world before I let you get on that train alone.""
A tear slipped free, rolling down Claire's cheek. ""Your mother told me you knew. The next morning, when she handed me that envelope of cash... she said you were relieved I was leaving quietly. She said you agreed that I was a distraction you couldn't afford.""
Daniel’s jaw tightened with an anger so deep it frightened him. ""She lied to both of us. She told me you demanded forty thousand dollars to leave.""
Claire gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. ""I never asked for a dime! Your father... before he died, he gave me a silver brooch that belonged to his mother and told me to take care of you. I left it on his dresser because I felt unworthy of it. I only took what I had saved from my own wages.""
The full weight of the deception finally crashed down between them. The mist swirled around the empty pier as two people realized that five years of their lives had been stolen by a single woman's calculated malice.
""Come with me, Claire,"" Daniel said, reaching out to gently cup her cold cheek. ""Come back with me to Newport.""
May you like
Claire pulled back slightly, her eyes searching his. ""Daniel, we can't go back. We are different people now. Your mother is still there. Your life is there.""
""My life is wherever you are,"" Daniel said, his slate eyes shining with certainty. ""And before we build anything new, I am going to make sure my mother pays her debt to the truth.""
