Chapter 5 - The Reunion in the Woods
The snow had begun to fall over the Green Mountains, blanketing the isolated cabin in a shroud of white. Inside, a warm fire crackled in the hearth. Claire sat in a rocking chair, softly humming a lullaby as four-month-old Leo drifted off to sleep in her arms.
Suddenly, the front porch light flickered.
Claire’s body went rigid. Jenna walked silently into the living room, holding a small, legally registered handgun.
"Is it him?" Jenna whispered.
Claire looked out the small window beside the door. Walking through the heavy snow, dressed in a dark coat, soaked and exhausted, was Damian. He was alone. No bodyguards. No armored cars.
"Lower the gun, Jenna," Claire said softly.
"Claire, no! He’s dangerous—"
"He's alone. Let him in."
Claire stood up, holding Leo closely against her chest. The front door creaked open, admitting a rush of freezing air and the tall, imposing figure of her husband.
Damian stopped at the threshold. His breath hitched in his throat. He looked at Claire—her hair pulled back casually, wearing a simple wool sweater, looking healthier and brighter than she ever had in Connecticut. Then, his eyes dropped to the small bundle in her arms.
His hands shook. The ruthless, terrifying leader of the Moreland syndicate was trembling.
"Claire," he rasped, his voice breaking.
"You shouldn't have come, Damian," she said, her voice cool and distant.
Damian took one slow step forward, stopping when Jenna cleared her throat, her hand hovering near her waist. Damian didn't care about the threat; his whole world was condensed into the space of that small living room.
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"I searched for one hundred and twenty days," Damian whispered, his eyes filled with an unbearable anguish. "I thought... I thought I had lost you forever."
"You lost me three days before I left," Claire replied steadily. "When you chose to stay in Miami with Sabrina while I was holding my stomach, breathing through contractions, begging you to come home."
