Her lips curve slightly again.
"You’re very trusting."
"Stop saying that like it’s a flaw."
"I didn’t say it was."
She leans forward again, resting her chin lightly against her hand.
"But you should probably start asking more questions
I sigh already tired of this ga she is playing . "Question s Like what?"
Her eyes lock onto mine.
"Like why Margaret already knows who I am."
I scrabble to find sothing but when I latch onto a thought.....my brain imdiately rejects the idea.
"That’s not....."
Claire lifts a shoulde
"She greeted like she’s seen before, dismt she."
I open my mouth to argue but no words co out.
Because...
She did.....Margaret hadn’t looked surprised, not even a little.
My stomach twists again as Claire watches the realization creep across my face.
"See?" she says
"That’s what I an."
I shake my head imdiately.
"No."
"No what?"
"No, that doesn’t an anything."
Claire doesn’t argue and that probably makes it worse because she looks like soone who already knows how this ends.
The sound of footsteps echoes faintly from the front hallway and my head turns automatically towards i
The front door opens, the sound is unmistakable as a familiar rhythm of movent follows.
Footsteps crossing the marble floor.
I know those footsteps.
Claire doesn’t even look toward the door. Ahe already knows.
My pulse starts picking up... then Zane appears in the doorway of the dining room.
He stops stops the second his eyes land on the scene in front of him.
standing near the table with Claire sitting in his chair
For a mont nobody moves and nobody speaks
The air feels thic as Zane’s gaze moves from ...to Claire and Sothing dark flashes across his expression.
Not surprise or confusion but Recognition.
Claire smiles a small knowing smile.
"Hi, baby."
His jaw tightens imdiately, the silence stretching painfully.
My eyes move back and forth between them, confusion rising in my chest like a wave.
Baby?? Did she just call my husband baby?. Did my "friend" Claire just call my husband baby right in front of ?. What in the actual fuck! Is going on here?!.
I try to calm my racing mind and put on a calm persona
"You two know each other,?" I say.
It isn’t even really a question clearly they fucking do!.
Zane’s eyes finally move to , his expression unreadable while Claire leans back slightly in the chair, Still calm and completely at ease.
And that’s when the feeling hits ... The sudden, sinking realization that I might be the only person in this room who doesn’t understand what’s going on.
My voice cos out quieter now but firr.
"Zane..."
"How exactly do you know Claire?"
For a long mont after my question leaves my mouth, nobody answers. My eyes move from one of them to the other.
Zane’s expression is completely unreadable while Claire, on the other hand, looks almost relaxed.
"Zane," I say again,
He doesn’t answer , his eyes just stay locked on Claire
"Well..." she says softly, leaning back a little in the chair.
"Hello to you too."
The sound of her voice seems to snap sothing inside Zane.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
His voice is low but the tension under it is obvious.
Claire shrugs lightly.
"Visiting."
"Tis is not funny."
"I wasn’t trying to be."
Zane steps fully into the room now as My confusion grows thicker by the second.
"Okay," I say, throwing my hands out slightly.
"Can soone please tell what the hell is going on?"
Neither of them answers as usual.
Zane completely ignoring he says to Claire. "
You shouldn’t have co here,"
Claire tilts her head slightly.
"Oh? Why not?"
"You know why."
She lets out a quiet breath through her nose.
"That was a long ti ago, Claire."
"That doesn’t change anything."
The tension between them is so thick I can feel it.
"Wait," I say quickly.
My voice cutting through their standoff, they both look at .
Finally.
"You two clearly know each other," I say slowly.
"And not in a casual way, i suppose."
Claire’s lips twitch again but Zane says nothing.
"So soone pleasr start talking," I continue.
"Because right now I feel like the only person in this room who’s completely lost."
Zane’s jaw tightens as his eyes move back to Claire.
"You need to leave."
Claire doesn’t move
"I’m serious Claire, I’ll have you thrown out if you don’t."
"Yeah," she says calmly.
"I can tell...."
"Then get up."
She taps her fingers lightly against the table in a slow almost thoughtful gesture.
"No."
Zane’s eyes darken.
"No?" he repeats.
"No," Claire says again.
Her gaze lifts to et his directly.
"You don’t get to shut this down."
"There is nothing to shut down."
Claire lets out a quiet laugh.
"Really?"
Zane doesn’t answer, he just stares at her.
"Zane," I try again.
"What is she talking about?"
He doesn’t look at and that hurts more than I expect.
Claire notices.
Of course she does.
Her eyes flick toward then back to him.
"You still do that," she murmurs.
"Do what?"
"Pretend things don’t exist if you ignore them long enough."
"That’s enough."
Claire leans forward slightly, her elbows rest on the table now.
"You brought her into this life."
Zane’s voice drops even lower.
"Claire." He says as a warnin
"But you still won’t tell her anything."
"Stop."
My heart is pounding now.
"Tell what?"
Neither of them answers .
Claire looks at again and sothing in her expression softens, like she almost feels bad for .
Then she turns back to Zane.
"You can glare at all you want," she says quietly.
"But you know I’m right."
Zane’s hands curl into fists at his sides.
"If you say one more fucking word....."
"What?" she interrupts.
"You’ll throw out?"
He doesn’t answer and Claire shakes her head slowly.
"That’s the problem with you, Zane."
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