out and get the shot so I was protected against that. We were
so desperately unhappy.
“Your father knew everything. He was my best friend and I
told him all of it. When my father died, the restaurant was
thriving. Your dad knew I had an out. That I could and would
divorce Henry. I was struggling with it. I didn’t really love my
father. He was a hard, horrible man. He was unkind. He was
also fairly unscrupulous. He didn’t have an ounce of
compassion to wring from him. Henry was kind of the same.
He did things that were…that no wife should have to endure. I
was unwilling, and I guess he forced me. Did I tell anyone?
No. Not even your dad. He just knew how unhappy I was. I
was struggling. My father had just died, and my family was
struggling to keep the business together—it was just my mom
and my sister and they really didn’t know how to run things. I
was busy with the restaurant, and I really didn’t have a clue
either. My sister was too young at the time to want to take on
any responsibility. Your dad hit me at my lowest point. When
it happened, the restaurant temporarily closed down. I felt like
I’d lost everything. That was my breaking point. The point
where I just snapped, and everything fell in on itself.
“Your dad had this plan to get on track, but my heart just
wasn’t in it. I was devastated. I think the writing was on the
wall anyway. My marriage ended. I got the divorce I wanted.
The family business needed me. My family needed me. I had
to become something I never wanted to be.”
Claire finally looked up at Haley. Tears swam in her huge
blue eyes. Eyes that reminded Claire so much of the sound.
She’d chosen the house because she loved it so much. She
liked it because it was always different, always powerful,