Chapter 148

Chapter 148
Ayleen’s POV

The car was quiet in that strange, heavy way that follows adrenaline. The city lights streaked past the windows, flashing white and gold, but Clara barely seemed to notice them. She sat beside me with her arms folded loosely, gaze fixed straight ahead, jaw set just enough that I knew she was thinking too hard.

Normally, after something like that interview, she would’ve dissected every sentence. Tonight, she said nothing.

I let it go for a few minutes. I knew better than to rush her when she shut inward like this. But the silence kept pressing, thickening between us, until I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

“Hey,” I said gently. “You okay?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her fingers tightened slightly against her sleeve.

“Why would they ask that?” she said finally, her voice low, controlled. Too controlled. “About me cheating on you.”

My grip on the steering wheel tightened. “People ask stupid things.”

“That wasn’t random,” she replied. She turned to look at me then, and I saw it in her eyes. Not fear. Not jealousy. Instinct. The same instinct that had made her a formidable lawyer. “That question didn’t come from curiosity. It came from someone who knows our story.”

I exhaled slowly. “Clara—”

“No,” she interrupted quietly. “Think about it. Not just anyone would phrase it that way. Not just anyone would know how to cut that deep.”

I hated that she was right.

“It could be Marcus,” I admitted. “Or Katherine. Or someone feeding off the mess they created. But that doesn’t mean you need to chase it.”

She looked away again, jaw flexing. “I can feel it,” she said. “Something’s coming. I don’t know what, but it’s there.”

I reached over and covered her hand with mine. “You’re reading too much into it. Tonight was emotional. You were vulnerable on live television. Of course your nerves are heightened.”

She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t relax either.

“You always do this,” she murmured.

“Do what?”

“Try to protect me by minimizing the danger.”

I glanced at her. “I’m not minimizing anything. I just don’t want you giving Marcus power he doesn’t deserve.”

She let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “He already had power. For years. Whether we wanted to admit it or not.”

The rest of the drive passed in uneasy quiet. When I parked outside her place, she didn’t move right away. She just sat there, staring through the windshield like she was already somewhere else.

“Come inside,” I said softly. “We’ll decompress. We’ll sleep. Tomorrow will feel clearer.”

She finally turned to me. There was resolve in her expression now, sharp and familiar. The look she got right before making a decision she wouldn’t back down from.

“I’m going to Greenport tomorrow, ” she said.

My chest tightened. “Clara.”

“I need to talk to him,” she continued. “Face to face. I need to see what he’s doing. Why he’s stirring this now.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” I said immediately. “You don’t owe him anything.”

“This isn’t about owing,” she replied. “It’s about control. I won’t let him dictate the narrative again.”

I shook my head. “He wants a reaction. That’s exactly what you’d be giving him.”

She reached for my hand then, squeezing it once. “I’m not walking in blind. But I need to trust my instincts on this.”

I searched her face, trying to find hesitation. I found none.

“Please,” I said quietly. “Just… don’t let him drag you back into the past.”

Her thumb brushed over my knuckles. “I’m not going back,” she said. “I’m going to close a door.”

I wanted to believe her. God, I did.

But as I watched her step out of the car, already mentally preparing for whatever confrontation she’d decided was inevitable, a cold weight settled in my stomach.

Because I knew Marcus.

And I knew he never let doors close quietly.