Claire messaged Pierre with a simple 'I'm going back on the day of the next hearing.'
It worked like a charm. Pierre appeared within half an hour. He was going to leave that day himself and she still caught him early enough.
"What do you mean?" Pierre said without any pleasantries.
"You've said yourself that the next hearing is likely to be the last one."
"It doesn't mean that the win is guaranteed."
"No, but I want to be there when the decision is made."
"If you're worried about Gabriel, I can confirm that he wasn't hurt in that fire."
"I want to be there when it ends." Claire said decisively, packing a small suitcase. "Besides, I couldn't dismiss Samuel and his business trip entirely."
"You're smarter than that."
"No, I'm not." Claire shook her head.
"You're Elise now. You should stick with it." Pierre said in a desperate attempt to stop her.
"Elise is stupid. I'm just fitting into my new role." Claire smiled at him.
"You've spent five months as Elise. Do you think that those five months away didn't change anything? You were barely married for like six months before your death."
"I thought that you didn't want to be my rebound guy." Claire answered with a smile.
"You're going to get yourself hurt."
"I'm already hurt. The fact that I'm still alive is miraculous. I could've drank myself to death or popped some pills, and believe me when I say that I was tempted. I don't care."
"What about Francesca?"
"You've said that she was just a ruse. Even then, I don't care. If he wants to be with her, so be it, but I need to be there when it's all done. And I need to see my parents, my family, my friends."
"Claire!" Pierre's voice gained a sudden sharpness.
"Don't worry. I'm not going alone." Claire smiled at him, pleased with herself.
"No?"
"Katherine is coming with me."
"What Katherine?"
"Katherine Miller. My journalist friend."
Pierre went silent. And as he did, Claire knew that he knew of Katherine's true identity.
"Did she agree to go with you? Just like that?" Pierre asked at last.
"We spoke of it before but last night she agreed. We've got the tickets for the first flight out at dawn tomorrow."
"Claire…" Pierre let out a sigh.
"Five months is more than enough. I can't hide like that forever. Besides, we both know how bad at hiding I am."
"Okay." Pierre sat down in defeat. "I am genuinely curious how you think that reunion is going to go."
"What do you mean?"
"Looking at my experience, it is very rare that the person who faked their death is forgiven for doing so. Family and friends go through a traumatic experience and they often struggle to put it past them."
"I don't want forgiveness, Pierre. I never, not even once, wanted anyone's forgiveness. I just need to be there. I need to see them first-hand. I need to, at the very least, apologise."
"Do as you wish."
"I thought that you'll put up more of a fight."
"Oh, Claire. I might be disapproving but you aren't a prisoner. If that's what you want to do, go ahead. I don't have to tell you that you should be careful. I'm sure that you know and I've reminded you of it plenty of times."
"By the way, how can I repay you for keeping tabs on me?"
"Marry me?" Pierre joked. Claire landed a soft punch on his shoulder. "You don't have to repay me. You don't owe me anything to repay me. It's my job."
"I'm sure that it wasn't your job to report to me about my family and friends, and check on me."
"No. But that is what friends do."
"You know, you've changed a lot." Claire tilted her head as she looked at Pierre.
"That doesn't sound great."
"You grew in confidence. You are no longer that shy kid I used to have a crush on."
"You had a crush on me?" Pierre asked in disbelief.
"Why do you think I've learnt French?" Claire laughed.
"If only I knew…" Pierre shook his head, his brown hair falling onto his forehead. "You used to be so shy. I'm so glad to see that you came out of your shell so much."
"Thanks." Claire sat down beside him. "Thank you, Pierre. Thank you for keeping me sane for the last five months. Thank you for keeping me afloat. And thank you for telling me off when I acted like a dickhead."
"I'd like to think that it came from the goodness of my heart but I genuinely like you. I can't say that I'm not upset with Gabriel having you. But I get it. I saw what he was like without you, and how you were without him. I guess I thought that you were with him for other reasons. Maybe I hoped that you despised him."
Claire looked at him silently. She used to despise Gabriel. She used to want to gut him at the mere sight of him. She didn't fully understand how and why it changed. Or maybe she did. Gabriel has changed. His unhinged anger turned out to be his hurt and pain. He did the most amazing thing he could and he dealt with his issues as well as he could. And then, he could love her truly. He became vulnerable in front of her. He let her see himself as he truly was.
"Will you stay another day and go back with me?" Claire asked. She started to feel anxious. Pierre was right. There was a possibility that she will be pushed away. That she will be hated. She was afraid.
"Only if I get to have one last dinner with you."
"You say that as if I were going to drop dead once I step on the English soil." Claire laughed.
"I'm sure that you'll forget all about me once you get your husband back." Pierre said with a slight bite in his voice.
"You can always come back to get more buildings designed for your pretend company." Claire shrugged.
"Are you planning to go back to Diamond Corporate?"
"I'm not sure. Samuel Harris treats me well. But, maybe I could start my own business?"
"That sounds like a great idea." Pierre nodded in approval.
"Where do you want to go get that dinner?"
"There's a very nice Chinese restaurant not far from here." Pierre answered with a smile. A pained smile.
Claire nodded in agreement and hurriedly put a coat on. Pierre stood up lazily.
It was nice to spend time with him. He was nice. Maybe in another story, Claire would have been with him instead of Gabriel. Maybe in another story, Claire would have been safe and not at all concerned about Michael Moore. Maybe. But in this story, Claire was hurt many times and each time she stood back up. She managed to use her resources, her intelligence, and her wits, to find a way to survive for as long as she did, while gathering the evidence against the biggest villain she ever came across. A man driven solely by power and money, who was willing to sacrifice everything to get more of it.