Chapter 3
Rachel helped us locate Claire.
Not through anything secret.
Not through shortcuts.
Just through ordinary records and conversations.
Claire agreed to meet.
She arrived at a quiet café near the park.
She looked nervous.
When she saw Nora, her expression softened.
“I’m glad you came.”
Nora sat across from her.
“Why did you contact me?”
Claire took a deep breath.
“Because I made a mistake years ago.”
“What mistake?”
“I assumed silence would protect someone.”
She looked at Nora.
“But silence only creates more questions.”
Claire explained carefully.
Years earlier, Marcus had a relationship before meeting Nora.
A daughter had been born.
But Marcus had struggled with accepting responsibility.
Over time, contact became complicated.
Then distant.
Then almost nonexistent.
Nora listened without interrupting.
Finally, she asked the question that had been waiting.
“Did he ever tell me?”
Claire shook her head.
“No.”
The answer hurt.
May you like
Not because Nora expected perfection.
But because she realized there had been a part of Marcus’s life that she had never been allowed to understand.
