He answered on speaker without being asked. “Whitney.”
Her voice filled the room, bright and brittle.
“Where are you? My parents are furious. Your mother is asking questions, and Richard embarrassed everyone. Please tell me you didn’t actually go to the hospital.”
Daniel’s eyes flicked to me.
“I did.”
Whitney exhaled. “Daniel, this is exactly what I warned you about. Claire always finds a way to make things about her.”
My chest tightened, but the words landed differently now. They sounded rehearsed. Familiar because they were inherited.
Daniel’s voice stayed calm. “She was hit by a truck.”
“And that’s terrible,” Whitney said quickly. “Obviously. But tonight was important too.”
Aunt Evelyn looked away.
Daniel said, “Why didn’t you tell me she had a son?”
Silence.
Then Whitney laughed once, softly. “Because it wasn’t relevant.”
“To our engagement?”
“To us.”
Noah shifted in Evelyn’s arms, his tiny face turning toward my voice as if even asleep he knew where I was.
