Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 72

“And why did you betray Claire? If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll let everyone know where you’re hiding.”

I lay back on the bed and told her everything. Every detail, nothing left out.

“So that’s how it is,” I finished, feeling the weight settle on my chest. “Right now, I can’t let anyone find me. I don’t have the strength to keep running.”

My enemies were out there, hidden, watching. I was the only one exposed, and now, on top of everything, I was hurt.

Deanna’s face twisted in anger. “So that’s how you got that injury on your back? How could they treat you like this? It’s just… cruel.”

I shrugged, not sure what else to say. “I guess they never cared about me. People like that only care about themselves.”

Deanna shook her head. She’d grown up in a loving family, and for her, cruelty was a foreign language.

“But what about Claire?” she pressed. “Why did you leave her? If she knew what you’ve been through, she wouldn’t just turn her back on you.”

I managed a weak smile. “Look at me. What could I possibly give her?”

“She’d feel guilty forever if she knew the truth about that anonymous donation. You know she would.”

“I can’t give her the life she wants anymore. Please, promise me you’ll never tell her. Ever.”

Deanna went quiet. She stood there for a long time, her back to me.

Finally, she spoke, her voice small. “I kind of wish I’d never asked. Keeping all your secrets is exhausting.”

I tried to lighten the mood. “You could always just forget. Pretend you never heard any of it.”

She looked at me over her shoulder. “So what are you going to do now?”

I didn’t have an answer. Where was I supposed to go?

“I’ll just go wherever. The world’s a big place.”

Deanna helped me heal, and before she left, she pressed some money into my hand.

“This is a loan, okay? You owe me. So you better stay alive.”

She didn’t look back as she walked away. My eyes stung, but I blinked it away.

My thoughts drifted back to the present. I tried to smile. “Really, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. Maybe this is just my time to disappear.”

I glanced at the screen. Claire’s number.

I couldn’t tell if she was calling to check if I was alive, or just to see if I’d been caught.

Aaron nudged me. “Pick up. She’s going to hang up.”

Before I could move, he answered it for me. Claire’s voice filled the room, loud and clear.

“Lambert! You finally decided to pick up your phone!”

“If you hadn’t answered, I’d have thought you were dead!”

I forced a laugh. “Thanks to you, I’m still here. Alive and kicking.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, someone like you is impossible to kill. Like a cockroach.”

Her words hit harder than I expected. So this was how she saw me.

I looked at Aaron, embarrassed, then replied, “You’re right. Guys like me never die easy.”