Claire didn’t kiss me. She didn’t even cross the threshold before she turned.
Her face was serious under the hall light, and she clutched her purse like a lifeline.
“Adam…” Her voice was soft and careful. “Before we do anything else, I need you to promise me something.”
A strange chill ran up my spine. Despite our arrangement, I wasn’t expecting any surprises from Claire.
“Anything,” I managed.
Claire didn’t kiss me.
She shook her head, almost smiling, but there was fear behind it.
“No matter what, just — don’t scream, okay? Not until you let me explain.”
And on the night my whole life was supposed to change, I wasn’t sure whose story I was about to step into — hers, or my own.
Everything in my life — every cold dinner at my parents’ table, every ultimatum, and every woman who looked at my last name before she looked at me — led directly to that moment.
“Don’t scream, okay?”
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