I felt sick.
“I remember… she used to pack extra food for me.”
Claire smiled sadly. “She always talked about you. She said you were kind… but also the loneliest child she’d ever seen.”
My chest tightened.
All the warmth I remembered from childhood… came from someone my parents discarded.
“Why did you say yes to my proposal?” I asked.
Claire squeezed my hand. “At first, I almost said no. But when I told my mom your name… she knew exactly who you were.”
“You knew?”
“She told me about the little boy who thanked her. The one who tried not to cry at the pool.”
“You lied to me.”
“I did,” she admitted. “Because she deserves to be seen. And I needed to know… whether that boy still exists.”
I lowered my head.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
She looked straight into my eyes. “Because I had to find out — are you your father’s son… or your own man?”
