Claire's POV
Evander stood there silently, staring at me without a single word. The silence stretched, filling the room with a tension that made my skin crawl. I was desperate to know what he wanted from me— what he expected me to do to finally be free of him.
"Are you not going to say anything?" I demanded as I clenched my teeth. "If you have nothing to say, then please call my friend. I want her here."
First, he said I needed to make up for him. Now he just stood there like he was lost in thought. I was beginning to think he had lost his mind. I shifted my gaze away from him, frustrated.
After a moment, he spoke, as his voice was surprisingly calm. "I can see the love you have for me, Claire," he said. "But what I regret most is that I was blind to it all those years ago. If I had seen it five years ago, maybe I wouldn't have done the things I did to hurt you."
