He dragged a hand through his hair.
“I knew Claire before I met you.”
The room felt ice cold.
“We dated. It ended badly.”
“Did you love her?”
He stared at the floor.
“At the time… I thought I did.”
The answer hollowed me out.
“So when you met me and realized I was her sister… you said nothing.”
“I was afraid she’d ruin everything,” he admitted. “When Claire confronted me later, I told her nobody would believe her. They’d think she was jealous.”
That was how he silenced her.
He started talking quickly after that.
What he felt for Claire had been chaotic.
What he felt for me was different.
Real.
Stable.
People change.
But I barely heard him anymore.
All I could think about was Claire standing in front of me begging me not to marry him while I accused her of jealousy.