Chapter 3 - EVERYONE KNEW SOMETHING
Claire sat motionless for almost a minute.
Her mother’s name remained on the screen.
Diane Bennett.
Witness.
Twelve years ago.
Claire remembered that year.
She and Julian had been married for just under two years.
Brooke had called Claire crying one Saturday morning.
She was pregnant.
The father, according to Brooke, was a musician named Aaron who wanted nothing to do with the baby.
Claire had held her sister on the bathroom floor for three hours.
Julian had brought them food.
Claire remembered thinking how kind he was.
How patient.
How good.
Now she wanted to be sick.
A knock sounded on her window.
Claire jumped.
Hotel valet.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
She forced herself to nod.
“Fine.”
She closed the laptop.
Before leaving the garage, Claire forwarded every file to a personal cloud account Julian didn’t know about.
Then she emailed copies to one person.
Maya Chen.
Her college roommate.
And one of Chicago’s most aggressive corporate attorneys.
The subject line contained only two words.
Call me.
Claire walked into the ballroom eleven minutes later.
People cheered.
“Surprise!”
Gold balloons floated near the ceiling.
A giant white cake stood beneath a sign reading:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAIRE!
Claire almost admired the cruelty of it.
Her mother rushed forward first.
“You finally made it!”
Diane hugged her.
Claire went rigid.
Over her mother’s shoulder she saw Brooke.
Perfect hair.
Black dress.
Soft smile.
The mouth that had been on Claire’s husband fifteen minutes earlier.
Then Julian approached.
“There’s my birthday girl.”
He kissed Claire’s cheek.
She fought the urge to recoil.
“You brought it?”
“The laptop?”
“Yes.”
Claire handed it over.
Their fingers touched.
Julian smiled.
For fourteen years, she had thought she could read that face.
Tonight she realized she had never known what she was looking at.
Brooke lifted a champagne glass.
“Speech!”
Guests laughed.
Claire looked around.
Her father.
Her mother.
Her sister.
Julian.
Who knew?
Who didn’t?
“Actually,” Claire said, “I’d rather hear from Julian.”
Julian blinked.
“Me?”
“You organized all this.”
Brooke’s smile tightened.
Julian recovered quickly.
He raised his glass.
“To Claire. The smartest person I know. My partner, my best friend, and the woman who keeps our whole crazy family together.”
Claire smiled.
“You forgot loyal.”
Julian hesitated.
“Loyal too.”
Her father cleared his throat.
“Come on, Claire. It’s your birthday. Enjoy yourself.”
Claire turned to him.
“I intend to.”
Her mother gripped her arm.
Too tightly.
“Can I talk to you?”
Diane led Claire toward a private hallway.
The moment they were alone, her mother’s smile disappeared.
“What did you see downstairs?”
Claire’s blood went cold.
She had told no one.
“What are you talking about?”
Diane looked toward the ballroom.
Then lowered her voice.
“Whatever you think you saw, don’t make a scene tonight.”
Claire stared at her.
Diane’s face answered the question before her mouth did.
“You knew,” Claire whispered.
Her mother swallowed.
“Claire—”
“You knew.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Twelve years?”
Diane stepped closer.
“Please.”
Claire laughed once.
A broken, ugly sound.
“Did Dad know too?”
Her mother didn’t answer.
She didn’t have to.
Then Diane said the sentence Claire would remember for the rest of her life.
“We were trying to protect the family.”
Claire looked past her toward the ballroom where Julian was laughing with her father.
“No, Mom.”
Her voice became very quiet.
“You were protecting everyone except me.”
May you like
And behind Diane, Brooke had stepped into the hallway.
She had heard every word.
