“I want her happy,” I said. Then, after a beat, “Even if that doesn’t include me.”
Nora studied my face. “But you don’t believe she is.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“And that scares you.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Because I don’t want her to think this is all she deserves. Not only because we were together, but because she was also one of my best friends.”
She leaned back slightly. “And where do you see yourself in that?”
I took a breath. “I want to be different now. Not to win her back. Just… to not be the reason she stays guarded forever.”
“In what way?”
“I want to show up,” I said. “Be steady. Be someone she can trust again. Not with big gestures, just consistency.”
Nora nodded. “That’s something you can actually control.”
“And if she still doesn’t want anything from me,” I said, “then at least I won’t be adding more damage.”
Nora nodded.
The pressure in my chest eased.
“I want to do better,” I said. “Not to fix things. Just because it’s the right thing to do.”
She smiled faintly. “That’s a much healthier place to start.”
When I left her office, I didn’t feel hopeful. Or forgiven. Or redeemed.
I just felt clearer.
Like I knew what direction to walk in, even if I didn’t know where it ended.
And for the first time in a long while, it felt possible.
Chapter 46
Claire
Sophie shows up at my apartment with two iced coffees and a look that tells me she’s been rehearsing an opinion she knows I won’t want to hear.
I brace myself before she even walks in the door.
She kicks her shoes off, curls up on my couch like it’s her house, and says, “Okay. We’re talking.”
I set my coffee on the table. “About what?”
She gives me a look. “Claire. Don’t be dense. Brandon.”
I sigh.
She takes a long, slow sip of her drink, eyes narrowed like she’s preparing to go into battle.
Then she sighs. “God, I hate that I’m about to say this. Truly. Because it kills me to agree with Ethan on anything. But…”
I blink. “But what?”
