Chapter 167

Claire's POV Adrian gathered his jacket from the chair beside my hospital bed, his movements carrying the quiet confidence that had replaced the defensive posture I'd grown accustomed to seeing from him over recent months. Our conversation about his European expansion plans had marked another step forward in the healing of our complicated relationship, and watching him walk toward the door with purposeful strides, I felt genuine hope that he was finally finding his own path. "Take care of yourself, Claire," he said, pausing at the threshold with the kind of respectful concern that acknowledged our new dynamic as family rather than former lovers. "And thank you for giving me another chance to prove I can be better." "You already have," I replied, meaning every word. The man who had tackled Nicole in the parking garage, preventing her escape after attempted murder, bore little resemblance to the bitter ex-boyfriend who had enabled her campaign against me. He nodded, exchanged a brief emb