could never be together. The age gap could maybe be
overlooked, but the fact of who Haley was would never work.
Her father would come between them every single time. He
would poison everything. He’d never let his precious daughter,
the one thing he actually cared about in the whole world, be
with someone he hated. He considered Claire a monster, and
honesty, she’d been living her life in a monstrous pattern of
loathing, desire for revenge, and a hardness that kept all
emotions at bay for such a long time, it was a shock to wake
up and realize they’d filtered in without her even being aware.
She was slammed back into her body, but it felt changed. A
stranger’s body. She didn’t recognize the ache in her chest.
The claws of a beast that lived in her now. She did know what
regret felt like. She’d lived with it long enough that she knew
all about the cold, cruel tendrils that twisted and twisted and
never let her go. This wasn’t about Robert or her restaurant,
her job, her dreams. This was only about Haley.
She knew she’d regret sending her away, hurting her,
breaking whatever magic they had, but that didn’t change
anything.
When Haley was dressed, she sat down on the bed, her legs
folded and crossed underneath her, her arms wrapped around
herself. She stared Claire down. “So. Tell me. What happened
between you and my dad?” Her tone said she’d listen and
reserve judgement for later.
Claire could only hope Haley would believe half of it. She
wanted her to take her side, not her dad’s, even though she
knew she should never put her in that position. She felt so off
balance that she walked over to the closest dresser and put her
hand on it to steady herself.