Chapter 3: The Secret Claire Left Behind
Chapter 3: The Secret Claire Left Behind
Caleb knelt before Lily.
"How old are you?"
"Three."
"And your father's name?"
Lily looked at Nora.
"I don't have one."
Nora's eyes filled with tears.
"I never knew who he was."
Caleb studied the child once more.
The resemblance was impossible to ignore.
Not only her eyes.
The tiny dimple in her left cheek.
The shape of her smile.
The birthmark just behind her ear.
All traits Claire had carried since childhood.
He quietly asked Nora,
"Did you know a woman named Claire Whitmore?"
Nora froze.
Years earlier, she had met a young woman volunteering at a community shelter.
Claire had helped her through a difficult pregnancy.
Shortly before disappearing overseas for humanitarian work, Claire had entrusted Nora with a sealed envelope and one promise.
"If anything ever happens to me, give this to my brother."
Nora had searched for Caleb after Claire's death.
She had never managed to reach him.
Until tonight.
With trembling hands, Nora removed the weathered envelope she had carried in her handbag for three years.
Caleb recognized his sister's handwriting instantly.
Inside was a letter.
"If you're reading this, I may no longer be here. Nora once saved my life when no one knew who I was. If she ever needs help, please help her as you would have helped me. She became the sister I chose."
Caleb closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, they were fixed on Sloane.
May you like
"You humiliated the last person my sister trusted."
The engagement ring suddenly felt unbearably heavy in Sloane's hand.
