“She was too young to remember,” Claire said. Jack went still. Claire held his gaze. “She was barely two when I had the first procedures,” she said. “Young enough that all she ever knew was me.” The room seemed to narrow around him. Jack stared at her. “And after that?” he said. Claire gave the smallest shrug. “She adjusted.” The casualness of it made Jack’s stomach turn.
“You built your own daughter’s life around a lie,” he said. Claire’s expression hardened. “Don’t tell me what I had to do for my daughter,” she snapped. “I did what I had to do to protect her.” Jack stared at her. Claire’s jaw tightened. Then, quieter, more unevenly, she said, “Ever since my husband left, all I could think about was you and Sarah.” Jack didn’t move.