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56. Burnt Toast and New Beginnings
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2026-08-06 20:31:12
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The Wife He Chose Too Late 74. I choose you
Claire’s POV"I think I'm starting to choose you."The words seemed to remain between us long after I had spoken them, almost as though neither of us quite knew what to do with them now that they were out in the open.Damien didn't answer immediately. His fingers were still wrapped around mine, his thumb moving slowly across the back of my hand, but something in his expression had changed. The teasing warmth that had been there only moments earlier had faded, leaving behind something far more vulnerable."You don't have to say that because you think I need to hear it," he said quietly."With you?" I asked, looking at him, and he gave a small nod before his expression softened. "Yes, with me.""Claire..." He started, but I shook my head gently. "I mean it."He studied my face for several seconds, and I could see the uncertainty beneath his calm expression. Perhaps he was trying to decide whether I was saying it because I felt sorry for him, because I was frightened of losing the only p
The Wife He Chose Too Late 73. Dinner for two
Claire's POVBy the time evening arrived, I had almost convinced myself that I wasn't nervous.I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom, looking at the woman staring back at me and wondering why choosing what to wear for dinner suddenly felt like such an important decision. It wasn't a business dinner and it wasn't a family gathering and it wasn't even some grand occasion.It was simply dinner with Damien, yet somehow, that felt like enough to make my stomach flutter.I had changed twice already before finally settling on a simple dark dress that Olivia had bought for me. I ran my fingers through my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders, then stared at my reflection for another moment.The kiss from the previous night came back to me and so did the kitchen. The memory of Damien stealing food and my own laughter. The realization that I had loved him during those ordinary moments.I still couldn't believe how strange memory was. It wasn't returning in some neat sequence. There was
The Wife He Chose Too Late 72. I remember I loved you
Claire's POVThe words had barely left my mouth when Damien's expression changed.He didn't rush toward me. He didn't grab me or start asking a dozen questions. He simply stood there, looking at me as though he was afraid that if he moved too quickly, the memory might disappear and take me with it.Maria quietly set the wooden spoon down. "Claire," she said gently, "are you sure?"I nodded, although my eyes were still fixed on Damien. "I remember being here."Damien's voice was soft when he answered. "You remember this kitchen?""Not this kitchen exactly. I mean..." I pressed my fingers against my temple, trying to find the words. "I remember the other kitchen. The same one, but different. I don't know if that makes sense.""It does.""You were standing there." I pointed toward the stove. "You were wearing a white shirt."His mouth curved slightly. "I owned several.""You had the sleeves rolled up.""I usually did.""And you kept stealing food."He laughed under his breath. "Apparent
The Wife He Chose Too Late 71. The Memory in the Kitchen
Claire's POVThe first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was smiling.I didn't know why at first. I lay still beneath the blankets, staring at the ceiling while the pale morning light slipped through the curtains, and for several seconds I couldn't understand what had put that expression on my face. Then the memory came back, not as a picture or a complete scene, but as a feeling. Damien's hand against my cheek. His lips against mine. The hesitation in the way he'd kissed me, as though even after everything we'd been through, he was still waiting for me to decide whether he was allowed to be close.I touched my lips with my fingertips. It had felt familiar. That was the part I couldn't stop thinking about.Not simply the kiss itself, but the strange sensation that somewhere beneath the empty spaces in my mind, there was a woman who knew him. A woman who knew the sound of his voice when he was tired, the way he smiled when he was trying not to laugh, the warmth of his hand and
The Wife He Chose Too Late 70. The Kiss
Claire’s POVThat, more than anything, made my heart beat faster.Damien remained where he was, close enough that I could see the small movement of his chest as he breathed, but he didn't reach for me. He didn't try to turn what I'd said into something bigger than it was. He simply looked at me, and there was something almost unbearably careful in his expression.I lowered the photograph onto the bedside table. "You're doing it again."His eyebrows drew together slightly. "Doing what?""Looking at me like that."A faint smile touched his mouth. "I'm trying not to.""Why?""Because I'm not sure what you're thinking."I folded my arms loosely across my chest. "You could ask.""I could.""But you're not.""Because I don't want you to feel pressured into giving me an answer just because I want one."I stared at him for a moment. "You really are different from the man I remember being told about."His expression softened. "You haven't been told much about me.""I've been told enough.""By
The Wife He Chose Too Late 69. The Photograh
Claire's POV The nursery door closed softly behind us, and for a few seconds Damien and I simply stood in the hallway without saying anything. My hand was still resting over my stomach, almost as though I was afraid that if I moved it, the tiny flutter we had felt would disappear completely. I could still feel the memory of it in my palm even though the movement itself had stopped. I looked at Damien and found him watching me with that same stunned expression he'd had when the baby moved beneath our hands. There was something almost boyish about the way he looked, something I hadn't seen often since I had woken up in the hospital. It made him seem less like the intimidating businessman everyone else seemed to know and more like a man who had just been given something he wasn't sure he deserved. "I think our baby boy likes you," I said, smiling. His eyebrows lifted. "You've decided it's a boy now?" "I didn't decide anything." "You just called the baby 'he.'" I looked down at my
The Wife He Chose Too Late 4. A Dinner for Two
Claire's POVThe message remained open on my phone long after I had finished reading it.Outside the penthouse windows, Manhattan glittered beneath the deepening evening sky, its countless lights stretching toward the horizon like stars scattered across black velvet. Normally I loved this view. The
The Wife He Chose Too Late 3. The Wife in Everything But Name
Claire's POVThe next morning, I left the penthouse before Damien not because I had an early meeting and not because my schedule demanded it but because I couldn't bear the thought of sitting across from him at breakfast while pretending his words from the night before hadn't lodged themselves bene
The Wife He Chose Too Late 2. A Wife By Contract
Claire's POVDamien's words settled over the room with all the force of a collapsing building. "We will need to discuss the divorce arrangements this week."For a moment, I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly. The candles flickered softly between us. The meal I had spent hours preparing filled th
The Wife He Chose Too Late 1. Fourteen days
Claire's POVThe receptionist smiled as she handed me a small envelope. "Don't lose that," she said. "Most mothers end up keeping the first ultrasound forever."I looked down at the photograph tucked inside the envelope and felt something tighten in my chest.Forever.It was such a simple word, suc
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