Chapter 5
Daniel hesitated for a fraction of a second, his eyes pleading, but the absolute, unwavering fury radiating from Claire’s face forced him to step aside. Mark scoffed, shaking his head as if Claire were making a foolish, hysterical mistake.
Claire didn't look back. She carried Lily down the long, paved driveway, her heels clicking a rhythmic, determined cadence against the asphalt. The autumn air was growing colder as the sun dipped below the horizon, but Claire didn't feel the chill. Adrenaline and maternal rage fueled every step she took toward her parked SUV.
"Mommy," Lily whispered, her voice muffled against Claire's neck. "Are we going home?"
"We are going somewhere safe, baby," Claire promised softly, pressing a kiss to the little girl's soft, golden hair. "Just you and me. No one is ever going to lock you out again."
Claire reached the car, strapped Lily securely into her car seat in the back, and draped her own warm coat over the shivering child. She closed the door, walked around to the driver's side, and climbed in. As she started the engine, she locked the doors, finally allowing a single, ragged breath to escape her lips.
Her hands shook violently as they gripped the leather steering wheel. She had just struck her wealthy, highly connected mother-in-law and walked away from a multi-million-dollar lifestyle. But as she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Lily’s exhausted, tear-stained face, she knew it was the most important decision she had ever made.
She threw the SUV into drive and sped away from the Whitmore estate, the bright, cinematic colors of the mansion fading into the dark of the rearview mirror.
For thirty minutes, the only sound in the car was the hum of the tires against the highway and Lily’s soft, even breathing as she fell asleep in the back. Claire drove aimlessly at first, needing to put as much physical distance between her daughter and that cursed family as possible.
Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the harsh ringing of Claire’s cell phone via the car's Bluetooth system.
The caller ID on the dashboard screen flashed in bright red letters: DANIEL.
Claire stared at the screen, her jaw clenching. She debated ignoring it, letting it ring out into the void, but she needed to set the boundaries immediately. She tapped the answer button on the steering wheel.
"Claire, please, thank God you answered," Daniel's voice filled the cabin, sounding frantic and breathless.
"What do you want, Daniel?" Claire asked, her tone entirely devoid of the love she had once felt for him.
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"You need to turn the car around right now," Daniel pleaded, his voice cracking. "Mom is on the phone with the family lawyers. She's threatening to file emergency custody papers, Claire. She's going to claim you're mentally unstable because you assaulted her. She has thirty witnesses from the party who saw you hit her!"
"Let her try," Claire said, her voice remaining dangerously calm. "Let her bring a judge into this. I will gladly show the court the chain she used on my daughter."
