Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 22

Garrison showed up out of nowhere, striding over and pulling Claire into his arms. He glanced down at her, worry etched all over his face. "Claire, are you alright? Did something happen?"

Claire didn't answer right away. She just looked up at him, her eyes brimming with sadness, as if she’d finally found someone to lean on. After a moment, she shook her head. "I'm fine. Let's just go."

Garrison noticed the tears gathering in her eyes and then shot me a look cold enough to freeze the room. "Lambert, what did you say to her? Why is she crying?"

I had no words. There was nothing I could say to make this better.

Garrison pressed on, his voice sharp. "After all these years, haven't you done enough? Claire has fought so hard to keep the Gates family together. You have no idea what she's been through."

But I did know. I knew exactly how much she’d sacrificed. Turning a ruined company around and building it back up takes guts and a lot of pain. She should have been someone who lived without worries, but now she’d turned into this tough, no-nonsense woman who barely ever smiled.

Garrison's words hit me hard. Still, this wasn't his business.

"This is between me and Claire," I said, keeping my voice steady. "It has nothing to do with you."

I turned to go, my stomach twisting even more than before.

Garrison wouldn’t let it drop. "Stop right there."

He glared at me, his voice low but intense. "You might be my big brother, but I have to say it. If you feel guilty at all about what you did, then leave Cabinda. Don’t ever come back."

Maybe I deserved his anger, but I couldn’t leave. Not now. Darleen needed her treatment here. Moving somewhere else would be too hard on her, and the medical bills would be a nightmare.

I forced a smile, trying to play it cool. "Why should I be sorry about what happened? We just broke up. It was normal."

That set Garrison off. He took a step toward me, fists clenched. "She loved you so much, and you just walk away like it meant nothing?"

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