CLAIRE
“What kind of deal?” I asked, my voice quieter now.
Patricia held my gaze. “He offered financial support,” she said. “Business connections. Contracts your father desperately needed.”
I swallowed hard. “And in return?”
She didn’t answer right away, that silence told me everything before she even spoke. “In return,” she said slowly, “you would marry Ethan.”
The words hit me like a slap, I blinked, my mind struggling to catch up. “That’s not…” I shook my head quickly. “No. The marriage was arranged, yes, but it wasn’t...”
“It was negotiated,” Patricia cut in.
My chest tightened. “No,” I said again, more firmly this time. “You’re twisting it. Families make arrangements all the time. That doesn’t mean...”
“Claire,” she said, her voice sharper now. “He sold you.”
The world seemed
