The room fell silent as Chris stepped forward, his gaze locked on Claire's closed bedroom door.
Everyone—Alex, Emma, Margaret, Ivy, and Jake—moved aside, giving him space. Chris took a deep breath, steadying his nerves.
He could feel the weight of everyone's hopes pressing down on him. They all wanted Claire to co out, but more than anything, he needed her to co out. Not because he was curious about what truly happened but because he wanted to understand her.
Clearing his throat, he spoke with a voice filled with quiet determination and his undying love. "Baby, I'm here for you. Don't you want to see the man that makes you smile? You need to know I'm not going anywhere until you tell what's going on."
There was no response from behind the door. Claire was trying as much as she could not to break into a sob at Chris's words.
Chris took a step closer. "I told you last night—I'm not going to leave you to handle this on your own. I'm your man, Claire. I belong right here beside you, and that's where I'm going to stay. Even if you don't co out, I'm going to remain here with everyone else."
Inside the room, Claire sat on the floor, her back resting on her bed fra and her body trembling with the wait of her emotions.
Tears stread down her face as Chris's words echoed in her mind. Her heart ached. She felt broken—too broken to be loved. But hearing him say those things made sothing deep inside her stir.
Why won't he just leave? He deserves better than . I can't give him back his love.
"Why can't you just listen to your aunt and leave alone? Let be, please! Go ho, Chris," Claire called from inside, taking a shaky breath as different thoughts began spiraling round her head once again.
But those thoughts were interrupted when Chris's voice broke through again, firr this ti. "I know what my aunt has said. But I don't care about her words—not until I hear the truth from you."
Claire felt her breath hitch. He doesn't believe Nicole? She covered her face with her hands. Why is he fighting so hard for ?
Chris waited for a response, but when none ca, he pressed on. "Everything I said to you yesterday was true. It was from my heart. You should know by now that I'm going to stand by you—no matter what happened. And your family is here too. We're all ready to fight for you, Claire but we can't if you don't let us."
His voice softened. "I'm here but I can't fight the world alone. If you don't tell what's going on, I'll be fighting without any armor, Claire. I need you to tell the truth so we can stand side by side and fight together."
Claire sat frozen, his words sinking in. He wasn't just offering support—he was offering his whole heart despite knowing his reputation was on the line.
Chris's tone lightened, and he chuckled softly. "You know... now that I think about it, I finally understand why you ran off after I told you I liked you that day at the restaurant with Emma. You were scared. You didn't think you deserved to be loved. But you do, Claire. You deserve to be loved and seen. And I want to love you if you'll let ."
Tears burned in Claire's eyes. His words wrapped around her heart like a lifeline. But she held herself back from saying a word.
"But you're hurting by shutting out like this," Chris continued, his voice cracking slightly. "Please stop pushing away. Co out and tell what happened so we can all fight this together. I can't stand here and watch the world accuse you of sothing you didn't do. I want to tell everyone that you're not a murderer. You're just a victim who's been carrying this burden alone for too long," he said, making the tears stream down Claire's cheek.
From behind the door, Claire's voice ca out broken and raw. "How do you know that?"
Chris's heart clenched at the sound of her pain. He took another step closer. "I know you're a victim because no murderer would laugh the way you do. No murderer would hide and cry when accused like you're doing now. You're not what they're saying, Claire. And it's ti the world heard your story. You're stronger than you think, and there are people out there—people like you—who need to hear it. They'll draw strength from your truth and co out of their hiding too."
Inside the room, Claire hugged herself tightly. His words played over and over in her mind and she couldn't help how deep the words cut through her.
He believes . She whispered to herself. Chris didn't know the full truth, yet he was still standing by her. Still fighting for her.
She wiped her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.
If he's willing to believe in like this, then I need to believe in myself too.
Claire stood up slowly, her heart thudding in her chest. For too long, she had carried the weight of the past. She had hidden from the truth because she thought no one would ever understand.
But maybe it was ti to let it out. Maybe it was ti to fight back—not just for herself, but for everyone else who had suffered in silence and believed in her.
"If Chris is willing to fight for ... then I need to fight for myself too," she told herself.
With trembling hands, she reached for the doorknob and turned it.
The door opened slowly, and Claire stepped out.
The room filled with emotion as Alex, Emma, Margaret, Ivy, and Jake rushed to her side. They wrapped her in a tight embrace, their relief palpable.
"Oh my God, Claire. Thank you for opening the door," Alex said, his voice thick with emotion.
Claire felt warmth flood her heart. She wasn't alone. She thought, looking at them with their teary face, each of their faces mirroring the other's pain.
Finally, her eyes t Chris's. His gaze was filled with unwavering love and determination.
Claire swallowed hard, her voice trembling but resolute. "Thanks for believing in . I'm ready to tell the truth. It's ti everyone knew what happened twenty-nine years ago... after Mathew took to prom from my father's house."
Twenty nine years ago
Claire adjusted the hem of her dress, smoothing the delicate fabric with trembling fingers.
Her heart fluttered, not just from excitent but from nerves that she couldn't quite explain.
She was walking to prom with Mathew—the boy who had showed up in front of her door right when she was feeling so heartbroken, to fulfil her fantasy of going to prom.
Though she still didn't know much about him, neither did she like him yet, he wasn't bad looking and knowing he had always loved her made her believe it'd be easy getting to fall for him.
"You look beautiful, Claire," Mathew said softly. His eyes held hers a little too long before he looked away.
Claire blushed, but the warmth of his complint didn't settle in her chest like it should have.
Instead, unease prickled at the back of her mind. "Thank you," she murmured, offering a small smile.
Though she didn't know why she felt that way, she didn't bother dwelling on the feeling. It was probably because she was still feeling like it was supposed to be Isaac and not him. She thought dismissively.
They continued walking toward the venue, the night air heavy with the scent of spring flowers and sothing unspoken between them. Claire stole a glance at him, trying to read his expression but she couldn't.
There was a mix of sothing in his face. Sothing unreadable. Was it nervousness she saw? Or sothing else?
"Matt? I can call you that, right?" she asked, flashing him a smile and he nodded.
"Sure. What is it?" He asked curiously.
"I'm curious about sothing," she ventured, her tone light. "Those tis I saw you at the park, or near the school gates, the library, tea shop or even at my dance practices... were you really there because of or they had all just been a coincidence?" she asked, a curious smile gracing her face.
"What if I told you it wasn't a coincidence? That I was there because I knew you'd be there?" he asked and Claire raised a brow.
"Really?" She asked, not sure she liked how she felt about knowing soone else knew her schedule in school more than her.
Mathew taking it as Claire being happy to have soone as devoted as him nodded, his smile stretching wider. "Yes, Claire. Actually, I know a lot about you, you know? I an, how could I not when I've been practically watching you for over three years?"
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