Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 117

Garrison just happened to drive by and spotted me having dinner with Deanna. He couldn’t help himself. He pulled over, snapped a photo that made us look way closer than we really were, and sent it straight to Claire.

“Claire, saw Lambert out with someone,” his message read. “Want me to bring you something on my way home?” He made it sound like he was doing her a favor, but I knew exactly what he was up to. The picture was perfectly timed, catching me leaning in to hand Deanna tissues, trying to calm her down while she wiped away tears.

Claire had just gotten home. She hadn’t even noticed I wasn’t there yet, and probably wouldn’t have cared if it weren’t for Garrison’s message. But as soon as she saw that photo, everything made sense to her. There I was, out late, looking like I was sharing a secret with Deanna.

It wasn’t like we were doing anything wrong, but the way the photo looked, I couldn’t blame Claire for feeling weird about it. What really got to her was that Deanna, who knew everything I’d put Claire through, was still sitting there with me, taking my side.

She couldn’t help but remember the things people had said before. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between Lambert and your best friend?” someone once asked her.

She shut it down immediately. “No way. Deanna’s my best friend. If something was up, I’d know.”

“But she never takes your side. And she never explains why. I’ve seen this before...”

There were always people trying to stir up drama, but in the end, Claire knew she had to trust her own gut. She never believed Deanna would betray her. Deanna had always been honest, always there when things got tough. It just sucked that now, Deanna would rather let Claire misunderstand than tell the truth.

“No, it’s fine. I’m heading to bed. You should get some rest too,” Claire replied to Garrison, turning down his offer. Garrison probably saw it coming.

“Alright. I’ll head home then. Goodnight,” he said before hanging up. I could imagine him smirking as he glanced back at us before rolling up his window and driving away.

Deanna finally settled down, though she was clearly tipsy. I looked at her, concerned. “Maybe you should stop drinking. Let me take you home.”

She just nodded. “Okay.”

We paid the bill and were getting ready to leave when my phone vibrated. Claire’s name lit up the screen.

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