Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 77

If I died, would you finally let it go? Would you forgive me then?

I could never say those words out loud. I was too afraid the answer would break me all over again.

Claire turned her head, saying nothing for a long time.

Garrison stood nearby, picking up on the tension between us. He jumped in, his voice uneasy.

“Claire, I’m not feeling well. Let’s go back to the room.”

But Claire didn’t move. She hadn’t answered me yet.

After another long pause, she finally looked at me. Her eyes were dark, impossible to read.

“Yes,” she said.

“That’s exactly what you asked. You didn’t even need to say it out loud.”

“If you’re asking, it means you already know the answer.”

She owned her answer completely, her words crisp and sure, no hesitation at all.

Hearing her say it made my place in her world painfully clear.

I met her gaze, but she looked away.

It hurt, but somehow, I accepted it.

I gave a crooked smile. “Yeah, I already knew. I just wanted to hear you say it out loud, see how it felt.”

“Now that I’ve heard it, I actually feel kind of okay. Like a weight’s been lifted.”

She glanced at me, disappointment flickering across her face. Then she turned back to Garrison.

“Don’t ask questions like that again. It just makes you look stupid.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify