Chapter 27

Claire's POV I woke with a start, my eyes swollen and sore from crying myself to sleep. Sunlight streamed through the curtains I'd forgotten to close, illuminating my childhood bedroom with a brightness that felt at odds with my mood. I reached for my phone to check the time and froze. There it was: a missed call from Theo, timestamped just minutes after I had hung up on the woman who'd answered his phone last night. My heart skipped a beat. Had he somehow realized it was me who called? Did the woman tell him? Or was it mere coincidence—a business matter he needed to discuss? I stared at the notification for a long time, my finger hovering over the call back button. Part of me desperately wanted to hear his voice, to know why he'd called. Maybe there was an explanation for the woman answering his phone. Maybe it wasn't what I thought. But the rational part of me knew better. Theo had been clear about his intentions—or lack thereof—that morning on the phone after our night together. He'