Chapter 19 - ONE YEAR LATER
On the anniversary of Thomas Bennett's death, Claire visited his grave.
She brought two flowers.
One for the father who raised her.
One for the father whose blood she carried but whose mistakes had shaped her life.
Evelyn stood beside her.
“You okay?”
Claire smiled through tears.
“I think I finally am.”
That evening, Claire hosted dinner for the people who had become her unconventional family.
There was laughter.
Rosa complained about Michael's cooking.
Vanessa brought terrible wine.
Claire looked around the table.
May you like
Family, she realized, wasn't always the people whose blood you carried.
Sometimes it was the people who finally stopped hiding the truth from you.
