“I was ashamed,” he said. “Of him. Of myself. Of the fact that I used money to solve everything because I didn’t know how to be part of Noah’s life without explaining why.”
“So you told Claire I was the obstacle.”
“I told her what made it easier for me to keep avoiding the truth.”
Claire’s face hardened.
“You told me Elena would never accept Noah.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
I felt something settle inside me.
Not forgiveness.
Clarity.
He had not betrayed me in the way Bianca believed. But he had still constructed a separate life, one made of omissions, money, and carefully edited stories. He had turned me into a cruel stranger in Claire’s mind so he would not have to risk an honest conversation.
“You made decisions for all of us,” I said. “For me. For Claire. For both children.”
“I know.”
“No, you know now because the walls collapsed.”
