Chapter 7 - The Husband Who Came Back Too Late

Daniel was waiting outside my apartment when I returned.

I almost walked past him.

Almost.

Then he said:

"Claire."

I stopped.

Not because I wanted to.

Because a part of me still reacted to his voice.

That made me angry.

"You need to leave."

"I know."

"Then leave."

He looked exhausted.

"I need five minutes."

I laughed.

"Five minutes?"

He nodded.

"That's all I'm asking."

I should have said no.

I should have closed the door.

Instead, I stepped aside.

That was my mistake.

Not because I trusted him.

Because I needed to understand why.

Daniel stood in my living room.

The same room where he once assembled baby furniture.

The same room where we picked names.

The same room where he promised me forever.

Now he looked like a stranger.

"I saw Michael."

Daniel's face changed.

"You found him."

"You knew where he was?"

Silence.

Again.

Always silence.

"Daniel."

He sat down.

"I suspected."

I stared.

"You suspected?"

"Michael disappeared because my mother wanted him gone."

"And you did nothing?"

He looked down.

"I was twenty-six."

I shook my head.

"No."

He looked up.

"You don't get to hide behind your age."

My voice became softer.

"You were old enough to marry me."

That hurt him.

Good.

It should.

---

Daniel finally told me everything.

After his father died, Eleanor took control of the family.

She trained Daniel.

Taught him that love was weakness.

That loyalty meant obedience.

That people were tools.

"And I believed her."

His voice cracked.

"For years."

I watched him.

"And then you met me."

He nodded.

"You ruined everything she taught me."

I frowned.

"What?"

"You made me want to be different."

The words should have touched me.

They didn't.

Because wanting to change wasn't the same as changing.

"Why didn't you choose me?"

Daniel closed his eyes.

"Because I thought I had more time."

That sentence broke something inside me.

More time.

He had gambled with my life because he thought there would be another chance.

---

That night, Daniel left.

But before he walked away, he turned.

"Claire."

I didn't look at him.

"My mother has someone inside your company."

I froze.

"What?"

"Someone who has been helping her for years."

I turned around.

"Who?"

Daniel hesitated.

And that hesitation terrified me.

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