Chapter 15 - Adrian Finally Stops Asking
Adrian moved out before Claire asked him to.
For three weeks, he sent messages.
I’m sorry.
Can we talk?
I’ll do anything.
Then one day, they stopped.
Claire noticed the silence.
She also noticed how relieved she felt.
When they finally met with attorneys, Adrian looked older.
Not broken.
Just stripped of certainty.
“I’m not contesting the house,” he said.
Claire glanced at him.
“Why?”
“Because Eli lives there.”
She nodded.
“What about custody?”
“Whatever he needs.”
For the first time, Claire saw a father instead of an adversary.
It did not erase what he had done.
It did not restore love.
But it mattered.
Adrian looked down at his hands.
“I thought you choosing the company meant you weren’t choosing me.”
Claire answered carefully.
“I thought you understood that I was carrying something my father left me.”
“I resented it.”
“I know.”
“I let that resentment turn me into someone I don’t recognize.”
Claire looked at him.
“No. You recognize him now.”
He absorbed that.
Then nodded.
“Do you think there’s any chance?”
Claire knew what he meant.
She thought of Vanessa on his arm.
Of Eli at the microphone.
Of the words board votes tonight.
“No.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
Claire continued.
“But there is a chance to be Eli’s father.”
His eyes opened.
“That’s more than I deserve.”
“This isn’t about what you deserve.”
She gathered her papers.
May you like
“It’s about what he deserves.”
When she left, Adrian did not follow.
