CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Claire's POV

The drive back from Brian's school was unusually quiet, the weight of his earlier question hanging heavy in the air between us. I glanced at him in the rearview mirror, my heart clenching at the troubled furrow of his brow, the way he stared listlessly out the window.

"Sweetheart," I began, choosing my words carefully. "About what you asked earlier..."

Brian's gaze snapped to mine, something painfully vulnerable in his eyes. "It's okay, Mom. You don't have to tell me. I know it's hard for you to talk about him."

Oh, my sweet boy. So young, but already so perceptive. So attuned to the ache in my heart, the scars I tried so hard to hide.

"No, baby. You deserve to know the truth." I took a deep breath, quelling the tremor in my voice. "Your dad...he wasn't perfect. But he was a good man, at heart. Strong and kind and so full of life."

A wistful smile tugged at my lips, the memories of those early days flooding my mind. "He would have loved you so much. Been so crazy proud of