CLAIRE
Aiden doesn't start talking right away.
That surprises me more than anything else. After everything that's happened, after all the tension and the distance and the things left unsaid, I expect him to rush it. To fill the silence before I change my mind. Instead, he sits across from me, elbows resting on his knees, hands loosely clasped, like he's bracing himself for impact.
The room is quiet in a way that feels deliberate. Not awkward. Just… steady.
"I'm not going to try to convince you," he says finally. His voice is calm, but there's an edge to it, like he's already accepted that this could end badly. "You said you wanted answers. I'll give them. All of them. But I'm not going to soften it."
I nod once. I don't speak. If I open my mouth now, I'll derail this befor
