Chapter 3
“Cole.”
The two men regarded each other with the particular politeness reserved for enemies who shared too many boardrooms.
Adrian looked back at Claire.
“I've been trying to reach you.”
“I know.”
“You haven't answered.”
“I know that too.”
His jaw tightened.
“Can we speak privately?”
Claire glanced toward the ballroom.
“We're speaking now.”
Nathan quietly set his glass down.
“I can give you a moment.”
But Claire shook her head.
“You don't have to leave.”
Adrian's expression darkened.
“Claire, this is between us.”
She looked at him steadily.
“No, Adrian. There is no us anymore.”
For a moment, he seemed genuinely unable to process the sentence.
Then he forced a laugh.
“Are we really doing this in public?”
“You approached me in public.”
“Fine.” He lowered his voice. “I understand you're angry. But involving Mercer in our problems is childish.”
Nathan's expression cooled.
“I haven't been involved in anything, Cole.”
Adrian ignored him.
“Claire, come home.”
The words landed between them.
Three weeks earlier, they might have destroyed her resolve.
Now they sounded like an order issued by someone who hadn't noticed he no longer had authority.
“I'm already home,” she answered quietly.
Adrian stared.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I moved into my own apartment.”
His face went pale.
“You moved out?”
“Yes.”
“You didn't tell me.”
“You haven't asked where I've been living.”
Silence.
Nathan looked away, deliberately giving them what privacy he could.
Adrian swallowed.
“Claire, don't throw away four years because you're upset.”
She studied him.
“I didn't throw them away.”
“Then what do you call this?”
“Finally accepting what you've been showing me.”
His eyes flickered toward Nathan.
“Is this about him?”
Claire felt a cold disappointment settle over her.
Even now, Adrian needed another man to explain her decision.
“No,” she said. “It's about you.”
He stepped closer.
“You're making a mistake.”
Claire shook her head.
“The mistake was believing that someday you would stop treating me like an appointment you could reschedule.”
Then she picked up her clutch.
“Goodnight, Adrian.”
She walked away.
Nathan didn't follow immediately.
He remained beside the railing.
Adrian turned on him.
“Stay away from her.”
Nathan met his gaze.
“That's not your decision anymore.”
Adrian's hands curled into fists.
“You think this is funny?”
“No.”
Nathan's voice hardened.
“I think you had something extraordinary and kept acting like she would always be there when you finally had time.”