Chapter 47: Claude: A Slip of the Tongue

Claude’s POV

Celeste’s voice on the other end of the phone call was exactly the distraction Claude needed while he sat in the therapist’s lobby, waiting for Oriana. He offered to be the one to go with her, to and from, as many times as she needed.

Claude knew what it was like to fall apart and need help in putting yourself back together. Sometimes family just isn’t enough. Oriana needed to cope, and there was nothing Claude could do to alleviate that for her.

But he would be there for her. As much as he didn’t like Robin, Claude loved the way Robin treated Oriana. He was good to her, loved her, gave her a community she desperately needed. And now he was gone. Their budding relationship squashed under a boot, snatched away like a thief.